THE   HISTORY 


OF    THE 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT 

NEW  YORK  STATE  VOLUNTEERS, 

IN  TT  £  WAR  FOR  THE  UNION. 

1861-1865. 

BY 

ABRAHAM    J.    PALMER,    D.D. 

(FORMERLY  PRIVATE.  COMPANY  D.) 


Illustrated. 


"  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  pair  la  inori." — HORACE. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  VETERAN  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 
BROOKLYN,     N.    Y. 

1885. 

FOR    SALE    BY 

CHARLES    T.    DILLINGHAM, 

678  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


Copyright,  1885, 
By    A.    J.    PALMER, 


TO    THE 

SONS    AND    DAUGHTERS 

OF  THE  MEN   WHO  COMPOSED  THE 

FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT  NEW  YORK  STATE  VOLUNTEERS, 

THIS  RECORD 
OF  THEIR  FATHERS'  ACHIEVEMENTS  "  IN  TIMES  THAT  TRIED  MEN'S  SOULS," 

IS    AFFECTIONATELY    INSCRIBED, 

WITH   THE   HOPE   THAT   THEY   MAY   LOVE   THEIR   COUNTRY  BETTER 

FOR   KNOWING   WHAT    HER    FREEDOM   AND 

INTEGRITY     HAVE     COST. 


M167274 


A    PREFATORY    LETTER. 


To  MY  COMRADES  : 

The  most  Drifted  of  modern  women  has  written  that.  "  If 

o 

you  would  love  a  woman  without  ever  looking  back  upon 
your  love  as  a  folly,  she  must  die  while  you  are  courting 
her;  and  if  you  would  maintain  the  slightest  belief  in 
human  heroism,  you  must  never  make  a  pilgrimage  to  see 
the  hero." 

I  hope  that  in  all  your  homes  that  double  sarcasm  is 
doubly  contradicted.  This  book — which  is  the  poor  record 
of  your  heroic  deeds — has  been  written  chiefly  that  your 
children,  who  daily  ''  see  the  hero,"  may  know  his  history, 
and  when  they  can  no  longer  see  you,  that  they  may  still 
possess  the  story  of  your  most  glorious  years. 

Three  years  ago,  when  I  was  requested  to  become  the 
historian  of  the  regiment,  I  consented  conditionally  that 
some  one  should  be  procured  to  write  the  historical  sketch, 
while  I  would  edit  the  book  and  see  it  through  the  press. 
For  a  while  it  seemed  that  we  had  succeeded  in  procuring 
the  very  services  we  needed  from  an  officer  who  had  been 
with  the  regiment  through  most  of  its  career.  But  vexa 
tious  delays  occurred,  and  finally,  to  our  great  disappoint 
ment,  an  entire  miscarriage.  Nothing  remained  but  the 
abandonment  of  the  enterprise — which  all  lamented — or  my 
assuming  the  task.  With  great  reluctance  I  therefore  under 
took  it. 

I  had  but  little  time  to  give  to  it,  and  moreover  I  felt 
myself  disqualified  by  the  subordinate  position  I  had  held 
in  the  regiment  to  write  its  history.  "  Privates"  were  not 


VI  A    PREFATORY  LETTER, 

always  informed  of  the  real  object  of  every  movement,  and 
the  surmises  of  "  the  men"  were  doubtless  often  incorrect. 
Moreover,  so  many  years  had  passed,  the  survivors  of  the 
regiment  were  so  far  scattered,  and  such  meagre  data  came 
in  response  to  repeated  appeals,  that  the  work  has  been 
difficult. 

Certain  rhetorical  infelicities  may  be  accounted  for  by  the 
fact  that  I  have  employed  an  amanuensis  and  written  by 
dictation — a  mode  of  composition  to  which  I  was  unaccus 
tomed.  However,  I  have  cared  less  for  that  than  for  many 
omissions  which  have  been  unavoidable  and  which  all  will 
lament,  and  for  certain  inaccuracies  which  I  fear  have  crept 
into  the  narrative  despite  the  greatest  care.  Nevertheless 
it  will  not  be  safe  to  trust  one's  own  memory  even  against 
this  record.  A  prominent  field-officer  of  the  regiment  read 
this  history  in  manuscript,  and  noted  twelve  "  inaccuracies," 
in  every  one  of  which  he  proved  to  be  mistaken.  Twenty 
years  have  made  our  memories  less  reliable  than  we  think. 

Great  care  has  been  taken  with  the  "  Roster  and  Record;" 
yet  there  are  doubtless  many  errors,  and  to  some  may 
have  come  the  sorriest  fate  of  a  soldier — "  to  be  killed  in 
battle  and  have  his  name  spelled  wrong  in  the  Gazette." 

In  the  company  sketches  there  is  some  disparity  in  the 
space  given  the  several  companies :  that,  however,  is  be 
cause  the  various  contributors  have  not  written  equally  ex 
tended  narratives.  This  I  greatly  regret ;  but  no  partiality 
has  been  shown.  I  found  it  impossible  to  get  sketches  of 
four  companies  from  former  members  of  them,  and  was 
therefore  compelled  to  call  upon  others  to  prepare  them. 

It  was  desired  to  have  a  picture  of  one  of  the  companies 
in  Fort  Pulaski.  The  artist  happened  to  send  the  negative 
of  Company  E.  If  the  means  had  warranted  it,  the  pic 
tures  of  all  the  companies  would  have  been  printed. 

There  is  one  thing  that  will  be  noticed,  for  which  I  ask 
especial  consideration.  I  refer  to  the  mention  of  certain 
personal  friends  (private  soldiers  like  myself),  when,  as  the 
narrative  has  progressed,  circumstances  have  recalled  them 


A    PREFATORY  LETTER.  Vll 

to  my  mind.  I  know  that  their  rank  in  the  regiment  would 
not  warrant  this  writing  of  their  names  while  many  who 
were  their  military  superiors  are  unmentioned.  But  when  I 
have  been  describing  a  scene  chiefly  memorable  to  me  be 
cause  of  a  personal  friend  in  my  own  company  who  was 
there  shot  dead  by  my  side,  I  could  not  forbear  to  write 
down  his  name  in  loving  memory  of  it,  although  he  was  but 
a  private  soldier  whom  few  will  remember.  It  is  not  that  I 
have  designed  to  exalt  the  private  soldier  above  his  officer, 
nor  my  friends  above  the  friends  of  others,  nor  to  call  especial 
attention  to  the  company  to  which  I  happened  to  belong. 

I  have  not  wished  to  claim  for  the  regiment  more  than  its 
fair  share  of  the  glory  of  the  battles  in  which  it  participated. 
I  have  sought  to  be  generous  and  just  to  all ;  however,  this 
book  does  not  pretend  to  contain  the  history  of  any  regi 
ment  except  that  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York. 

There  is  doubtless  some  disproportion  in  the  accounts  of 
the  great  battles  in  which  we  were  engaged.  The  descrip 
tions  of  the  assaults  on  Morris  Island  and  Fort  Wagner  are 
more  extended  than  any  others.  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor 
were  fought  while  I  was  absent  in  rebel  prisons,  and  Fort 
Fisher  after  the  expiration  of  my  term  of  service.  Con 
cerning  them  I  have  been  compelled  to  rely  upon  the  rep 
resentation  of  others.  That  should  be  considered  if  those 
three  great  battles  are  not  proportionately  described  ;  but 
it  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  the  career  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  Regiment  reached,  in  some  sense,  its  climax  in  the 
darkness  on  the  banks  of  Fort  Wagner ;  therefore  the  ex 
tended  space  which  has  been  devoted  to  that  battle. 

The  statement  on  page  183,  of  the  extremely  small  num 
ber  of  men  present  with  the  regiment  within  Fort  Fisher, 
will  occasion  surprise;  yet  it  is  based  upon  the  authority  of 
two  reliable  diaries,  and  it  makes  the  prominent  part  taken 
by  the  regiment  in  the  engagement  consistent  with  its  slight 
casualties.  It  will  be  noticed  also  that  three  weeks  after 
wards  the  regiment  was  greatly  reinforced. 

While  this  book  has  been  passing  through  the  press  our 


Vlil  A    PREFATORY  LETTER. 

illustrious  commander,  General  ULYSSES  S.  GRANT,  has 
fought  his  last  battle,  and  put  his  last  enemy  where,  long- 
before,  he  had  put  all  others,  "  underneath  his  feet."  It  is 
a  noticeable  fact  that  the  U.  S.  Grant  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Brooklyn,  to  which  a  number  of  our  comrades  belong,  should 
have  had  the  distinguished  honor  of  guarding  his  remains 
at  Mount  McGregor,  Albany,  and  New  York.  Comrades 
Brush,  Corwin,  Frankenberg,  Mackellar,  Powles,  Raymond, 
and  Whitson  were  among  those  detailed  for  that  solemn 
and  august  duty. 

The  long  delays  in  the  publication  of  this  history,  which 
must  have  tried  your  patience,  have  been  unavoidable.  For 
the  first  two  years  they  have  already  been  explained  ;  finan 
cial  embarrassments  will  account  for  the  last  year.  The 
MS.  of  this  book  has  been  ready  for  the  printer  for  more 
than  a  year. 

There  are  certain  comrades  and  others  to  whom  I  wish  to 
make  especial  acknowledgments  of  services  which  they  have 
rendered  to  the  history:  first  and  chiefly  to  James  A.  Bar 
rett  and  William  J.  Carlton ;  if  their  names  recur  frequently 
in  the  book,  it  is  because  they  have  been  constantly  active 
during  its  preparation.  Major  Barrett  has  been  indefatiga 
ble  in  securing  subscriptions  and  given  much  time  to  pre 
paring  the  Roster  and  Record,  besides  conducting  a  large 
correspondence.  Indeed  without  him  this  history  would 
never  have  been  published.  Captain  Carlton  has  also  given 
much  work  to  the  Roster  and  Record,  and  has  prepared 
the  valuable  tabulations  at  its  close  ;  he  has  procured  the 
illustrations,  and  had  the  chief  charge  of  printing  and  bind 
ing  the  book.  His  judgment  and  experience  have  been 
greatly  relied  on  throughout  the  entire  work.  I  acknowl 
edge  gratefully  their  gratuitous  contributions  of  valuable 
time  and  labor  that  this  undertaking  might  succeed. 

George  B.  Staley  has  been  the  treasurer  of  the  fund  for 
the  History,  and  his  fidelity  and  care  of  the  finances  deserve 
a  grateful  recognition. 

Captain  D.  C.  Knowles  has  made  most  valuable  contribu- 


A   PREFATORY  LETTER  IX 

tions,  as  will  appear  upon  their  perusal.  The  various  officers 
of  the  Veteran  Association  have  helped  the  good  work  on 
by  active  sympathy  and  counsel. 

Many  comrades  have  loaned  their  diaries  and  letters,  and 
contributed  items  of  interest,  and  others  have  generously 
advanced  money  to  make  the  publication  of  the  book  pos 
sible. 

Although  the  entire  work  has  been  done  gratuitously,  the 
cost  of  publishing  this  history  has  been  nearly  one  thousand 
dollars.  It  is  not  supposed  that  the  sales  will  more  than 
meet  the  expenses.  If,  however,  there  should  be  a  sur 
plus,  it  will  be  turned  into  the  treasury  of  the  Veteran 
Association. 

Among  those  who  have  helped  by  loans  of  money  and 
large  subscriptions  are :  Lieutenant-Colonel  D.  W.  Strickland, 
Captain  George  W.  Brush,  Lieutenant  R.  F.  Mackellar, 
Major  Barrett,  Quartermaster  Avery,  and  Comrades  Fletcher, 
Carlton,  Doering,  Holton,  Hale,  Knowles,  Marten,  Newman, 
Pugsley,  Schultz,  Stayley,  Stoney,  Shannon,  Twamley, 
Tuttle,  Wyckoff,  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Silliman  of  the  Long 
Island  Historical  Society. 

Among  those  who  have  loaned  their  diaries  and  other 
memoranda,  I  wish  especially  to  mention  Messrs.  Acker, 
Conklin,  Fagans,  Frankenberg,  Hibson,  Cummings,  Towns- 
end,  Thompson,  Wohlfarth,  Mrs.  Luther  B.  Wyman,  and 
Mr.  Charles  Cowley. 

General  Viele  and  Colonel  Barton  have  aided  with  valu 
able  suggestions.  Senator  George  F.  Hoar  has  kindly  sent 
us  a  copy  of  the  official  list  of  casualties  during  the  war. 
We  are  indebted  to  Henry  W.  Phillips  for  a  loan  of  the 
History  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  New  York,  and 
for  a  like  favor  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Isaiah  Price,  author 
of  the  History  of  the  Ninety-seventh  Pennsylvania,  which 
has  been  especially  valuable. 

Acknowledgments  also  should  be  made  to  the  publishers 
of  Lossing's  History  of  the  Civil  War,  from  which  many  of 
the  illustrations  are  taken,  and  to  Mr.  H.  P.  Moore  of  Con- 


X  A    PREFATORY  LETTER. 

cord,  N.  H.,  who  has  given  us  the  use  of  his  negatives  for 
the  three  pictures  taken  at  Fort  Pulaski. 

The  sister  of  Colonel  Coan  has  furnished  his  portrait,  and 
Colonel  Barton  his.  Finally,  to  all  the  people  who  have 
wished  us  well  and  helped  us  as  they  were  able,  we  gladly 
make  acknowledgments. 

And  now  this  book,  which  has  been  to  me  a  labor  of  love 
for  the  past  three  years, — in  writing  which  I  have  lived  over 
again  many  of  the  experiences  herein  described, — I  send 
forth  to  the  limited  company  of  readers  who  will  peruse  its 
pages,  not  without  consciousness  of  its  imperfections  ;  and 
I  send  with  it  greetings  to  all  my  comrades  who  may  wel 
come  it,  to  their  children  who  may  treasure  it,  and  to  those 
dear  people,  unknown  to  me,  who  shall  read  with  tears  the 
record  of  this  Forty-eighth  New  York,  because  of  their 
loved  ones  who  marched  away  with  us  four-and-twenty  years 
ago  but  did  not  come  back.  To  all  who  will  care  for  it,  I 
send  it  forth  with  the  hope  that  it  may  serve,  in  some  sense, 
to  bind  us  all  together  into  a  loyal  brotherhood  of  patriotic 
men  who  possess  in  common  many  glorious  memories,  and 
this  one  virtue:  when  our  country,  in  her  hour  of  peril, 
called  us,  we  did  not  refuse  to  answer,  nor  send  "  substi 
tutes,"  nor  wait  till  we  were  bribed  by  bounty  or  coerced  by 
conscription,  but  volunteered  for  her  defence. 

Whoever  is  also  conscious  that  he  did  his  duty  faithfully, 
will  find  in  that  his  best  and  lasting  reward. 

A.  J.  PALMER. 

BROOKLYN,  November,  1885. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

I'AGE 

Organization — July  24  to  September  16,  1861 i 

Colonel  James.  H.  Perry — Letter  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Merwin — "  Perry's  Saints" — 
Camp  Wyman,  Fort  Hamilton,  July  24,  1861— Visit  of  Inspection  by  Governor 
E.  D.  Morg-an  and  Staff— The  Fete  Champetre  -Colonel  Perry's  Horse— Letter 
from  Dr.  L.  H.  King — September  17,  1861,  leave  Fort  Hamilton  for  the  Front 
• — The  Field  and  Staff,  and  Commanders  of  Companies. 

CHAPTER    II. 
To  the  Front — September  17  to  December  31,  1861 10 

Leave  Fort  Hamilton— Through  New  Jersey— Supper  at  Philadelphia- 
Through  Baltimore — At  Washington — At  Annapolis — The  Forty-seventh  New 
York — Flag  Presentation — Last  Sermon  of  Colonel  Perry — October  18,  embarked 
on  Steamer  Empire  City — At  Hampton  Roads— Organization  of  the  Expedition 
ary  Corps— October  29,  the  Expedition  sails— The  Fleet— Sealed  Orders— The 
Storm  at  Sea— Off  Port  Royal— November  7th,  the  Battle  of  Port  Royal— Landing 
at  Hilton  Head  —  In  Camp  —  Contrabands  —  Brigadier-General  Viele  —  Lady 
Nurses — Drill — "Jeff" — Sickness — End  of  the  year  1861. 

CHAPTER    III. 
Port  Royal  Ferry  to  Fort  Pulaski — January  i  to  May  31,  1862 24 

Expedition  to  Port  Royal  Ferry— Report  of  Colonel  Perry— Back  to  Camp- 
Flags  presented— Captain  Ward  resigns— Private  Reilly  and  the  Bombshell- 
Captain  Q.  A.  Gillmore— January  25,  leave  Hilton  Head— Wreck  of  the  Winfield 
Scott— Dawfuskie  Island— Our  Camp  revisited  in  1884— Major  Beard— History 
of  the  Locality — Batteries  "  Vulcan"  and  "  Hamilton"  on  Jones'  and  Bird's 
Islands — Narrative  of  Captain  Knowles — The  "  Cold  Chisel  "  Brigade — Captain 
Gillmore  on  Tybee  Island — General  Hunter  succeeds  General  T.  W.  Sherman — 
April  10,  Bombardment  of  Fort  Pulaski— Capitulation— Rattlesnakes— The  Goat 
—News  from  the  North— General  Grant  at  Shiloh— The  Sutler— May  25,  leave 
Dawfuskie  Island  for  Fort  Pulaski. 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

PACK 

Fort  Pulaski — June  i,  1862,  to  May  31,  1863 41 

The  Fort— In  Garrison— Fatigue  Duty— Quarters  in  the  Casemates— The  Fort 
revisited  in  1884 — Drill — Wreck  of  the  Sutler's  Schooner — Death  of  Colonel 
Perry — Colonel  Barton  succeeds  to  the  Command— Captain  Knowles  resigns — 
Expedition  to  Bluffton — General  Mitchel  succeeds  General  Hunter — Visit  and 
Address  from  General  Mitchel— His  Death — Chaplain  Strickland — Pocotaligoand 
Coosawhatchie — Coosawhatchie  revisited — Report  of  Colonel  Barton--Sports 
at  Fort  Pulaski— The  Theatre— The  '•  Barton  Dramatic  Association"—"  Talking 
in  the  Ranks" — Order  of  Major  Beard — Thanksgiving  Day,  1862 — Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Beard  resigns— Chaplain  Strickland  resigns— Flags  of  Truce— Colored 
Regiments — Lieutenant  Corvvin  promoted — Capture  of  Steamer  General  Lee — 
Tybee — A  Mammoth  Sea-turtle — The  Blockade-runner  Lndona — Life  in  the 
Fort— The  Ladies— The  Musicians. 


CHAPTER  V. 
Morris  Island — June  i  to  July  17,  1863 70 

General  Gillmore  succeeds  General  Hunter — The  Department  of  the  South — 
Operations  against  Charleston— Admiral  Dahlgren  succeeds  Admiral  Dupont— 
General  George  C.  Strong — The  "  Fighting  Brigade" — June  19,  leave  Fort 
Pulaski — Companies  G  and  I  remain — At  St.  Helena  Island — Folly  Island — 
Batteries— The  Flotilla— Lighthouse  Inlet— July  10,  the  Assault  on  Morris  Island 
—Death  of  Captain  Lent— The  Run  up  the  Beach— The  Fatal  Halt— Casualties- 
July  ii,  Assault  on  Fort  Wagner  by  Seventh  Connecticut,  Ninth  Maine,  and 
Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania — Their  Repulse — Confederate  Accounts  of  it — 
Building  Batteries— A  Confederate  Sortie — Companies  C  and  D  in  the  Trenches 
— Lieutenant  Tantum  and  the  Rebel — Wilgus. 


CHAPTER   VI. 
Fort  Wagner — July  18,  1863 95 

"Battery"  Wagner— Location— Construction— The  Model  at  West  Point— 
The  Union  Fleet — The  Bombardment— The  Confederate  Garrison — Account  of 
the  Confederate  General  Taliaferro— Strong's  "Fighting  Brigade" — Putnam's 
and  Stephenson's  Brigades  in  Support — The  Three  Assaults — Charge  of  the 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts — Their  Repulse — Death  of  Colonel  Shaw — Charge 
of  Strong's  Brigade— The  Sixth  Connecticut  and  Forty-eighth  New  York  in 
Advance-  Terrible  Slaughter— Capture  of  the  Southeast  Bastion— Confederate 
Account — Losses— General  Strong  mortally  wounded — Charge  of  Putnam's 
Brigade  in  Support — Its  Failure — Lieutenant-Colonel  Green  killed — Colonel 
Barton  wounded — Captains  Farreli  and  Hurst  killed — Lieutenant  Edwards 
killed — Captain  Paxson  and  Lieutenant  Fox  mortally  wounded — The  Defence 
of  the  Captured  Bastion  till  Midnight— The  Mistaken  Volley  from  the  Rear— 
A  Costly  Blunder— Calls  for  Reinforcements— Why  they  never  came—"  Holding 
the  Fort" — Heroic  "  Privates" — The  Midnight  Surrender — Account  of  Charles 
Cowley — Account  of  Confederate  General  Taliaferro — "The  Assailants  As 
sailed" — "Die-no-mores,  follow  me" — Experiences  of  Private  Conklin — Blun 
ders — Medals — Fate  of  the  Prisoners — Fort  Wagner  twice  revisited — Its  Final 
Capture.  . 


CONTENTS.  XI 11 

CHAPTER    VII. 

PAGE 

Olustee — July  19,  1863,  to  April  22,  1864 128 

After  Port  Wagner — July  22,  leave  Morris  Island — Hilton  Head -St.  Augus 
tine,  Fla. — Beaufort,  S.  C. — Recruits,  and  Return  of  Wounded  Men — Re-enlist 
ment  of  Veterans— Festivities  at  the  Holidays—"  Les  Enfans  Perdu"— February 
5,  1864,  embark  for  the  Expedition  to  Olustee — General  Seymour  advances — 
February  20,  the  Battle — Barton's  Brigade — Losses — The  Retreat — The  Enemy 
— Story  of  Sergeant  Lang— Lieutenant  Keenan  killed — March  9,  Palatka,  Fla. — 
Return  of  the  "  Veterans"  —Farewell  to  the  Department  of  the  South — April  20, 
sail  from  Port  Roval. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
Army  of  the  James — April  23  to  December  31,  1864 140 

Gloucester  Point,  Va.— The  Tenth  Army  Corps— Grant— Butler— Gillmore— 
Turner— Barton — Strickland — Review  of  the  Army  of  the  James — May  5,  Ber 
muda  Hundred—"  Gillmore's  Rifles" — May  7,  Battle  of  Chester  Heights — May  12, 
Fort  Darling — May  16.  Drury's  Bluff — The  Battle  in  a  Fog — Losses — Death  of 
Captain  Moser— Butler  "  bottled  up'' — May  28,  leave  Bermuda  Hundred  for 
Cold  Harbor — The  Army  of  the  Potomac — Back  from  Prison — June  i  to  13,  Battle 
of  Cold  Harbor — A  Gallant  Charge— Colonel  Barton  wounded — Loss  of  the 
Colors— Porch— Casualties — In  the  Rifle-pits— Grant's  Change  of  Base — Covering 
the  '"Retreat" — Back  to  Bermuda  Hundred — President  Lincoln — Petersburg — 
Change  of  Corps  Commanders — Gillmore — Brooks — Birney— Barton's  Brigade — 
June  30,  an  Assault  ordered— Barton's  Caution— Picket  Duty— Duty  in  the 
Trenches — July  30,  the  Mine — The  Explosion — The  Assault— The  Repulse — 
Colored  Soldiers  again — A  Fatal  Delay— Death  of  Major  Swamrout— Back  to 
Bermuda  Hundred — Deep  Bottom — Strawberry  Plains — August  16.  Death  of 
Lieutenants  Tantum  and  Sayres — Death  of  Captain  D'Arcy— Back  to  Petersburg 
— Home  after  Three  Years — Charge  at  New  Market  Heights — Fort  Gilman — 
Death  of  General  Birney — General  Terry — Chapin's  F"arm  -  Winter  (Quarters — 
General  Barton  resigns— The  Twenty-fourth  Corps — General  Ord. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
Fort  Fisher  to  the  End — January  i  to  September  12,  1865 174 

First  Expedition  against  Fort  Fisher — Failure— Back  to  Chapin's  Farm — 
General  Butler  removed  from  his  Command — General  Ord  succeeds  him — The 
Second  Expedition — January  13,  on  Land — January  15.  the  Assault — Penny- 
packer's  Brigade — Colonel  Coan  wounded — The  Victory — The  Race  with  the 
Colors— The  Roll-call  in  Fort  Fisher— Death  of  Captain  Dunn— Tribute  of 
Admiral  Porter — Letter  of  Secretary  Stanton — The  Advance  towards  Wilming 
ton — Capture  of  Fort  Anderson — The  End  approaching— General  Schofield — 
The  Twenty-third  Army  Corps— February  21.  Battle  of  Wilmington — Major 
Elfwing  Wounded— Rescue  of  Union  Prisoners — Their  Sufferings — March  15, 
leave  Wilmington  for  Goldsboro' — Sherman's  Army — Richmond  taken — Ap- 
pomattox— April  10,  Raleigh— Death  of  President  Lincoln— Surrender  of  John 
ston—  The-End— September  3,  Home— September  12,  Mustered  Out—The  Career 
of  the  Regiment— Chaplain  Taylor— Chaplain  Strickland— Surgeon  Mulford— 
Colonel  Win.  B.  Coan. 


XIV  CONTENTS., 

CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE 

Sketches  of  the  Companies 200 

CHAPTER   XI. 
After  Twenty  Years— April  21,  1881 218 

Presentation  of  the  Battle-flags  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  to  the  Long 
Island  Historical  Society— The  Reunion — Collation— The  Meeting  in  the  Hall — 
Programme— Salutation  by  "  Private"  Palmer — Prayer  by  Chaplain  Strickland — 
Sergeant  Sparks  and  Corporal  McKie  Bearing  the  Old  Flags— Address  of  Captain 
Knowles— Address  of  Rev.  Dr.  R.  S.  Storrs — Greeting  General  Gillmore — The 
Forty-eighth  New  York  Veteran  Association. 

ROSTER    AND    RECORD. 

Field  and  Staff 247 

Non-Commissioned  Staff 248 

Company  A 249 

Company  B 255 

Company  C 261 

Company  D 268 

Company  E 275 

Company  F 282 

Company  G 289, 

Company  H 296 

Company  I   .    302 

Company  K 308 

Band 314 

TABLE  OF  CASUALTIES 315 

GENERAL  STATISTICS 316 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  48th  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.  at  Fort  Pulaski,  Ga Frontispiece 

Colonel  James  H.  Perry,  48th  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols opposite  3 

Union  Refreshment  Saloon,  Philadelphia 1 1 

Fort  Walker 17 

Fort  Beauregard 17 

Plan  of  Battle  of  Port  Royal 18 

Admiral  Dupont. . . 19 

Map  of  Sea  Islands. 20 

Drayton's  Mansion 21 

Pope's  House 21 

Fort  Pulaski  and  its  Environs 29 

General  David  Hunter » 36 

Breach  in  Fort  Pulaski 37 

Fort  Pulaski 42 

A  Company  of  the  48th  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.  at  Fort  Pulaski. opposite  43 

Monument  to  Colonel  Perry 44 

Headquarters  of  Generals  Hunter  and  Mitchel 46 

General  Mitchel 48 

The  Planter 51 

Officers  of  the  48th  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.  at  Fort  Pulaski opposite  65 

Martello  Tower,  Tybee  Island 66 

General  Gillmore 71 

Admiral  Dahlgren 72 

Obstructions  in  Charleston  Harbor 73 

General  Strong 77 

Siege  of  Charleston 79 

Bomb  and  Splinter  Proof 80 

Beacon  House,  Morris  Island 85 

Fort  Wagner  at  Point  of  First  Assault 103 


XV 1  IL  L  US TRA  7 'IONS. 

PAGE 

Fort  Wagner — Sea-face  Bastion,  Point  of  Second  and  Third  Assaults.  .    105 

Fort  Sumter  after  the  Bombardment 124 

Swamp  Angel 127 

Live  Oaks  in  Florida 138 

General  Grant 141 

Butler's  Lines  at  Bermuda  Hundred 1 43 

Position  at  Cold  Harbor 1 50 

Defences  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg 157 

Fort  Steadman 158 

Grant's  Headquarters  at  City  Point 164 

Pontoon  Bridge  at  Jones'  Landing  on  James  River 165 

Bullet-proof  in  the  Woods 167 

Army  Huts  at  Chapin's  Farm 171 

Colonel  William  B.  Barton,  481)1  Regiment  X.  V.  S.  Yols opposite  172 

Land  and  Sea  Front  of  Fort  Fisher 175 

Mound  Battery  at  Fort  Fisher 178 

Interior  of  Fort  Fisher. 180 

Pickets 188 

Army  Signal  Telegraph 190 

McLean  House,  Place  of  Lee's  Surrender 191 

Place  of  Johnston's  Surrender 192 

Colonel  William  B.  Coan,  48th  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Yols opposite  198 


ERRATA. 

Page    36,  (jth  line,  read  Totten  for  Potter 

"       45,  32d  "  "  Company  'B  for  C 

"       67,  7th  "  "  Ladona/£>r  Sadowa 

"     121,  I3th  "  "  Crammer  for  Cranmer 

151,  I3th  Ingraham  for  Ingham 

"     152,  last  "  "  one  for  five 

"     153,  first  "  "  five  for  four,  and  forty-three  for  eighty 

"     167,  first  "  "  two  for  one,  and  forty  for  three 

"     167,  second  "  "  twenty-five  for  fifty 

"     169,  loth  "  "  2Sth/oriSth 


FORTY-EIGHTH     REGIMENT, 

NEW    YORK  STATE   VOLUNTEERS. 


CHAPTER   I. 
Organization — July  24  to  September  16,  1861. 

Colonel  James  H.  Perry — Letter  of  Rev.  J.,  B.  Merwin — "Perry's  Saints" 
— Camp  Wyman,  Fort  Hamilton,  July  24,  1861 — Visit  of  Inspection 
by  Governor  E.  D.  Morgan  and  Staff — The  Fet^  Champetre — Colonel 
Perry's  Horse — Letter  from  Dr.  L.  H.  King — Sept.  17,  1861 — Leave 
Fort  Hamilton  for  the  Front — The  Field  and  Staff,  and  Commanders  of 
Companies. 

HHE  precise  origin  of  the  regiment,  which  was  first 
known  as  the  "  Continental  Guard,"  but  after  the 
date  of  its  muster,  as  the  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT  NEW 
YORK  STATE  VOLUNTEERS,  is  difficult  to  determine.  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Barton  and  Quartermaster  Avery  deserve 
perhaps  the  credit  of  the  very  first  thought.  In  the  spring 
of  1861,  on  President  Lincoln's  calling  for  seventy-five  thou 
sand  men,  these  two  young  men  started  to  raise  at  least 
a  company  of  a  hundred  men  in  Brooklyn.  They  rented  a 
room  in  old  Montague  Hall,  on  Court  Street,  and  advertised 
for  recruits.  Soon  they  had  more  responses  than  sufficed 
for  a  company,  and  with  a  fine  courage  they  determined  to 
raise  a  full  regiment. 

In  response  to  such  an  announcement  they  received  let 
ters  from  some  of  the  future  officers  of  the  Forty-eighth, 
saying,  "We  have  a  number  of  men  on  hand  ready  to  join 
a  good  regiment :  who  is  to  command  it?" 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

That  was  a  question  they  found  it  necessary  to  decide  at 
once.  At  that  time  it  was  announced  in  Brooklyn  that  the 
Rev.  Dr.  James  H.  Perry,  pastor  of  the  Pacific  Street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church, — a  clergyman  well  and  widely 
known  throughout  the  city, — had  determined  to  tender  his 
sword  to  the  Government,  for  service  in  its  defence.  In  the 
public  Conference  he  had  declared  that  as  he  had  been  edu 
cated  at  the  expense  of  his  country  at  West  Point,  he  felt 
that  she  had  a  claim  upon  him  for  any  service  he  could  ren 
der  her  in  her  hour  of  peril.  It  was  a  happy  thought  of 
Messrs.  Barton  and  Avery  to  tender  to  Dr.  Perry  the  com 
mand  of  the  regiment  they  had  started  to  raise.  They  re 
ceived  promptly  the  following  answer:  "I  have  given  the 
matter  careful  consideration.  Our  country  needs  help; 
there  are  dark  and  serious  days  before  it,  and  this  rebellion 
must  be  crushed.  If  you  think  you  can  raise  the  number  of 
men  requisite  for  the  formation  of  a  regiment,  and  will  at 
tend  to  the  detail  work  of  recruiting,  .  .  .  you  can  use  my 
name  as  Colonel." 

These  seem  to  have  been  the  circumstances  of  the  origin 
of  the  brave  and  heroic  company  of  Union  soldiers  which 
became  known  in  history  as  the  Forty-eighth  New  York. 
The  names  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  B.  Barton,  Quar 
termaster  Irving  M.  Avery,  and  Colonel  James  H.  Perry 
deserve  to  stand  at  the  head  of  its  honorable  roll. 

And  yet  there  were  other  units  of  company  organizations, 
which  had  distinct  origins,  but  which  afterwards  were  joined 
to  the  forces  that  were  rapidly  recruited,  when  once  the 
name  of  Dr.  Perry  had  been  authoritatively  announced  as 
the  commander  of  the  new  regiment.  Among  others, 
Lieutenant  B.  R.  Corwin  had  early  begun  to  recruit  a 
company  in  Brooklyn,  under  the  personal  authorization  of 
Colonel  Perry,  and  Captain  D.  C.  Knowles  had  opened  in 
July  a  recruiting-office  in  Trenton,  N.  J.  Others  in  Mon- 
mouth  County,  N.  J.,  and  along  the  valley  of  the  Hudson 
had  gathered  little  groups  of  men,  and  when  they  learned 
that  Dr.  Perry  was  forming  a  regiment  they  gladly  offered 


JAMES  H.  PERRY, 

FIRST  COLONEL  48th,  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 


ORGANIZA  TION,  3 

themselves  and  their  men.  Many  religious  parents,  fearful 
of  the  moral  contamination  of  army  life  for  their  sons,  gladly 
heard  of  a  regiment  to  be  commanded  by  an  eminent  minis 
ter,  and  sent  their  sons  to  join  it.  Undoubtedly  that  was 
how  the  organization  gained  its  quaint  sobriquet  of  "  Perry's 
Saints." 

As  the  formation  of  the  regiment  was  made  largely  about 
the  personality  of  its  first  commander,  we  will  here  give  a 
sketch  of  his  life. 

JAMES  H.  PERRY  was  born  in  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  June 
1 8,  1811.  He  inherited  from  a  Welsh  ancestry  splendid 
natural  endowments,  both  intellectual  and  physical.  He 
stood  fully  six  feet  in  height,  broad-chested,  broad-browed, 
a  man  of  noble  bearing  and  of  a  courageous  heart.  He  had 
early  evinced  an  inclination  to  a  military  life,  and  received 
an  appointment  to  a  cadetship  at  West  Point  from  President 
Jackson  in  return  for  political  services  rendered  by  his  father. 
There  was  a  delay  in  the  forwarding  of  his  credentials,  and, 
supposing  that  he  had  failed  to  receive  the  promised 
appointment,  young  Perry  began  the  study  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  law.  He  also  married.  When  his 
appointment  finally  reached  him  he  instantly  relinquished 
the  pursuit  of  the  law,  and  entered  West  Point.  There  his 
independent  and  manly  character  brought  him  into  frequent 
difficulties,  as  he  would  resent  the  insults  which  the  Southern 
cadets  were  accustomed  to  heap  upon  the  boys  from  the 
North.  He  did  not  relish  being  called  a  "  mudsill,"  and  he 
never  was  called  it  a  second  time.  He  became  a  sort  of 
leader  to  the  nobler  of  the  Northern  boys  chafing  under  the 
affronts  they  habitually  received.  In  one  encounter  with 
several  of  the  Southern  cadets,  who  assaulted  him  in  a  most 
cowardly  manner  while  he  was  unarmed,  he  barely  escaped 
with  his  life,  but  thoroughly  whipped  his  assailants.  For 
that  fight  he  was  court-martialled,  and  sentenced  to  be  dis 
missed  from  West  Point ;  but  President  Jackson,  himself  a 
brave  man  who  could  appreciate  the  courage  of  a  brave  boy, 
not  only  annulled  the  sentence,  but  wrote  a  letter  commen- 


4  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  AT.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

datory  of  the  manly  conduct  of  young  Perry.  During  his 
third  year  at  the  Academy  he  resigned  his  cadetship,  and  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Texas  rebellion  against  Mexico 
espoused  the  Texan  cause.  Perry  was  commissioned  a 
colonel  in  the  Texan  army,  and  authorized  to  raise  a  regi 
ment  at  the  North.  He  only  succeeded  in  raising  part  of  a 
regiment,  which  he  took  with  him  to  Texas,  and  with  which 
he  served  with  great  and  conspicuous  ability.  At  the  battle 
of  San  Jacinto  there  occurred  an  incident  which  changed 
the  career  of  Colonel  Perry  from  that  of  a  man  of  war  to 
that  of  a  man  of  peace.  General  Santa  Anna,  the  com 
mander  of  the  Mexican  army,  had  been  guilty  of  such 
duplicity,  craftiness,  and  cruelty  that  every  officer  of  the 
Texan  army  had  taken  an  oath  to  take  his  life  if  they  met 
him  in  battle.  The  reason  for  that  desperate  determination 
was  the  atrocities  of  Santa  Anna  at  Goliad  and  at  the 
Alamo.  At  Goliad  he  had  butchered  in  cold  blood  the 
entire  garrison  after  it  had  surrendered,  and  upon  the  cap 
ture  of  the  Alamo  he  had  put  to  the  sword  every  one  of  that 
gallant  garrison,  sparing  only  one  woman,  one  child,  and  one 
servant.  Because  of  these  barbarities  the  Texan  army  had 
declared  him  an  outlaw  and  a  bandit,  and  the  Texan  officers 
had  bound  themselves  by  an  oath  to  kill  him  at  sight.  At 
the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  where  Texan  independence  was 
finally  won,  Colonel  Perry  commanded  the  left  wing  of 
General  Houston's  army.  The  battle-cry  of  the  brave 
Texans  was,  "  Remember  the  Alamo."  In  the  battle 
Colonel  Perry  found  himself  opposed  to  a  general  whom  he 
supposed  to  be  Santa  Anna.  He  rode  towards  him,  and,  in 
a  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  swords,  killed  him.  After 
the  battle,  when  Santa  Anna  was  brought  into  the  Texan 
camp  a  prisoner,  Colonel  Perry  learned  that  his  antagonist 
had  been  the  chief  of  staff  of  the  Mexican  General,  and  that 
he  had  slain  unwittingly  an  honorable  soldier.  Stung  with 
remorse,  he  instantly  withdrew  from  the  army  and  came 
back  North.  That  mistake  in  the  identity  of  his  antagonist 
at  San  Jacinto  had  a  singular  effect  upon  Colonel  Perry's 


OX  GA  NIZA  T10N.  5 

whole  career.  Brave  as  a  lion,  he  was  tender  as  a  woman, 
and  a  cloud  of  remorse  for  that  act  shadowed  his  noble  life 
from  that  hour  until  the  day  in  Fort  Pulaski  when  he  died. 
His  most  intimate  friends  have  always  believed  that  it  was 
this  that  led  to  his  conversion,  and  the  dedication  of  his  life 
to  the  Christian  ministry.  On  returning  North  after  the 
Texan  War  he  settled  in  Newburgh,  on  the  Hudson. 

I  am  indebted  to  his  friend  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Merwin  for 
the  following  account  of  the  conversion  and  the  ministerial 
life  of  Colonel  Perry  : 

"  In  the  early  fall  of  1836,  on  a  call  at  Newburgh,  I  found  great  in 
terest  because  of  an  event  of  the  Sunday  night  previous.  At  the 
close  of  the  sermon  in  the  Methodist  church  a  prayer-meeting  was 
commenced  within  the  altar.  The  pastor,  Rev.  Seymour  Landon,  gave 
an  invitation  to  any  who  desired  to  give  their  hearts  to  the  Lord  to 
come  forward.  Colonel  Perry,  who  recently  had  returned  from  Texas, 
sat  in  the  middle  aisle  near  the  door;  he  instantly  rose,  and  deliberately 
walked  to  the  altar  and  knelt  for  prayers.  The  man,  so  conspicuous 
for  his  elegant  and  lofty  bearing,  wearing  the  badge  of  his  military 
office,  manifesting  so  fearlessly  his  decision,  awed  the  congregation, 
thrilled  the  church,  and  made  such  an  impression  that  it  became  the 
topic  of  conversation  throughout  the  town.  His  sincerity  was  seen  in 
his  docility:  he  sought  and  followed  the  advice  of  his  pastor  and  his 
brethren.  In  less  than  two  years  from  his  conversion  he  was  admitted 
on  trial  in  the  New  York  Conference,  and  began  to  preach.  His  first 
appointment  in  1838  was  Burlington  and  Bristol  Circuit,  Conn.  The 
usual  military  parade  took  place  that  fall  in  Burlington,  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Perry  was  invited  to  act  as  chaplain.  He  discharged  his 
duties  with  such  fine  dignity  and  such  military  form  that  the  event' of 
that  day  was  the  part  taken  by  the  chaplain.  At  the  session  of  the 
New  York  Conference  in  1841,  held  in  Mulberry  Street  Church  (now 
St.  Paul's),  New  York  City,  the  preacher  assigned  to  fill  the  pulpit  on 
Sabbath  evening  failed  to  appear.  Colonel  Perry  was  asked  to  take  his 
place.  In  the  spirit  of  military  and  ministerial  discipline  he  obeyed 
orders.  The  ability  he  exhibited  won  for  him  an  invitation  to  become 
the  pastor  of  that  church.  He  was  not  yet  elected  to  elder's  orders, 
and  yet  he  filled  what  was  then  the  most  important  appointment  of 
the  Conference  with  conspicuous  success.  Afterwards  he  was  always 
assigned  to  the  principal  churches.  The  magnificent  physique  and 
marked  characteristics  of  Dr.  Perry  were  elements  in  the  power  and 
efficiency  of  his  ministerial  career.  In  any  assembly  of  men  he  was 


0  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

likely  to  be  the  most  noted  figure  in  it — a  Saul  among  his  brethren. 
Tall,  well-proportioned,  with  large  head,  full  clear  blue  eye,  a  coun 
tenance  expressive  of  intelligent  manliness,  benignity  and  kindness, 
and  a  native  dignity  and  grace  of  bearing  that  inspired  confidence  and 
respect,  with  nothing  of  that  pomp  and  stateliness  that  repels — these 
but  poorly  indicate  the  character  and  proportions  of  his  mind  and 
heart.  He  was  noble  and  manly  in  all  his  traits ;  in  his  attachments 
firm,  constant,  and  reliable ;  the  soul  of  honor  and  courage,  always 
courteous,  always  a  gentleman.  Such  a  man  he  was,  and  he  brought 
himself,  his  gifts,  training  and  attainments  into  his  work  as  a  minister. 
Many  can  testify  in  all  the  churches  to  his  great  usefulness.  He  was 
a  man  of  strong  nature,  had  decided  opinions,  and  possessed  fine 
ability  as.a  ready,  dexterous,  and  cogent  debater.  He  was  a  zealous 
advocate  for  lay-delegation  in  the  Methodist  Church.  He  received 
from  Dickinson  College  in  1844  the  degree  of  D.D.  His  manner  in 
the  pulpit  was  calm,  dignified,  and  impressive ;  his  style  was  distin 
guished  for  its  clearness,  accuracy,  and  vigor,  and  for  historic  and 
classical  allusions." 

He  was  twice  a  member  of  the  General  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  his  success  in  the  ministry 
was  eminent.  It  was  during  the  session  of  the  Conference 
to  which  he  belonged  in  the  spring  of  1861  that  news  of  the 
bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter  was  received.  Rising  in  his 
seat,  amid  an  enthusiasm  that  will  never  be  forgotten,  he 
said,  "  I  was  educated  by  the  Government ;  it  now  needs 
my  services.  I  shall  resign  my  ministry,  and  again  take  up 
my  sword." 

This  was  the  Christian  minister  who  was  to  become  the 
first  commander  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment,  whose  name 
was  "  a  tower  of  strength"  in  its  recruiting,  who  was  to 
lead  them  to  the  front,  and  after  ten  months  of  noble  ser 
vice  at  their  head,  was  to  die  amid  their  love  and  tears, 
and  to  live  in  their  memory  forever. 

From  the  day  that  Colonel  Perry's  name  was  announced 
to  command  the  new  regiment  the  work  of  recruiting  went 
rapidly  on. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Barton  made  a  journey  to  Washing 
ton,  accompanied  by  the  Hon.  Moses  F.  Odell  of  Brooklyn, 
— an  early  and  loyal  friend  of  the  regiment, — and  received 


OR  GA  NIZA  TION-.  7 

a  promise  from  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  then  Secre 
tary  of  War,  that  when  more  troops  were  needed  the  men 
they  were  enlisting  would  be  accepted  by  the  Government. 

On  July  24,  1 86 1,  the  first  recruits  went  into  camp  at 
Fort  Hamilton,  Long  Island.  The  camp  was  named  "  Camp 
Wyman,"  after  Mr.  Luther  B.  Wyman  of  Brooklyn,  our 
early  friend  and  patron,  whose  interest  in  us  and  zeal  to 
promote  our  welfare  never  wearied. 

The  regiment  was  designated  originally  the  "  Continental 
Guard,"  the  design  being  that  it  should  be  independent  of 
any  State — and  that  is  why  the  overtures  of  its  projectors 
were  made  to  Washington  rather  than  to  Albany.  That 
idea  was,  however,  soon  abandoned,  as  the  general  policy 
of  the  Government  was  to  obtain  its  soldiers  in  given  quotas 
from  the  several  States. 

Before  President  Lincoln  had  issued  his  famous  call  for 
three  hundred  thousand  men  to  serve  "  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war,"  under  which  the  Forty-eighth  New  York 
was  mustered  into  the  service,  the  noble  men  who  were  at 
work  recruiting  it  had  expended  between  two  and  three 
thousand  dollars  of  their  own  money,  and  had  been  liberally 
aided  by  Mr.  Wyman  with  means  to  establish  the  camp  at 
Fort  Hamilton,  and  to  procure  blankets  and  other  neces 
sities  for  the  recruits. 

Soon,  however,  their  faith  was  to 'have  its  reward.  On 
the  renewal  of  the  application  to  the  War  Department  word 
was  received  from  Governor  E.  D.  Morgan,  the  great  "  War 
Governor"  of  New  York,  that  when  the  regiment  was  pro 
perly  officered  and  organized  he  would  come  on  at  once  and 
give  it  its  number  and  muster  it  into  the  service. 

Finally,  on  August  16,  1861,  the  first  three  companies 
were  mustered  in,  namely,  companies  H,  I,  and  K.  After 
wards  the  companies  were  mustered  as  fast  as  their  quota 
of  men  was  filled.  Companies  A  and  D,  August  21  ;  Com 
pany  G,  August  26 ;  Company  E,  August  27  ;  Company  F, 
August  31;  Company  B,  September  5;  and  Company  C, 
September  10.  The  time  at  Camp  Wyman  was  spent  in 


8  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.   S,  VOLS. 

drill,  and  by  the  officers  in  studying  the  tactics.  The 
writer  remembers  the  night  when  he  first  arrived  there — on 
July  30,  1861.  Only  one  tent  had  been  erected, — a  round 
tent,  such  as  a  sutler  afterwards  used, — where  all  of  us  slept 
on  the  straw,  with  feet  towards  the  centre.  We  recall  a 
visit  of  inspection  at  Camp  Wyman  by  Governor  E.  D.  Mor 
gan  and  his  staff.  Among  the  staff  that  day  was  a  brilliant 
young  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Chester  A.  Arthur,  late 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  The  officers  of  the 
"  Continental  Guard  "  gave  a  fete  champetre  one  evening 
before  we  left  the  camp,  which  was  a  fine  affair.  The  only 
officer,  except  Colonel  Perry,  who  seemed  to  have  had  any 
elaborate  military  education  (although  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Barton  and  several  others  had  belonged  to  the  Seventh  New 
York  State  Militia,  and  some  to  other  militia  regiments)  was 
Lieutenant  Elfwing,  a  Swede,  a  graduate  of  the  Royal 
Military  Academy  of  Sweden,  and  a  very  skilful  swords 
man,  whose  service  with  the  regiment  was  destined  to  be 
long  and  conspicuous,  and  who  is  now  the  U.  S.  Consul  at 
Stockholm,  Sweden.  The  regiment  took  form  in  those 
days  at  Fort  Hamilton,  company  by  company,  and  at  the 
final  muster  it  received  its  number  as  the  Forty-eighth  Re 
giment,  New  York  State  Volunteers. 

We  all  remember  the  noble  horse  that  Colonel  Perry 
rode.  It  was  presented  to  him  by  the  Methodist  ministers 
of  New  York  and  vicinity.  I  have  received  a  letter  con 
cerning  the  circumstances  of  the  gift  from  the  Rev.  L.  H. 
King,  D.D.,  who  writes  as  follows : 

"  I  had  been  making  a  brief  call  on  Colonel  Perry,  at  his  head 
quarters  in  Brooklyn,  and  when  leaving  the  thought  occurred  to  me 
that  it  would  be  a  handsome  thing  to  do  if  the  ministers  would  present 
him  a  horse,  caparisoned  and  ready  for  use.  At  once  I  commenced 
raising  a  subscription.  The  preachers  about  New  York  readily  sub 
scribed  $5  each,  and  Judge  Fancher  gave  me  some  $60.  I  had  but 
little  trouble  in  raising  the  money,  but  a  very  hard  time  in  finding  a 
horse  suitable  for  that  kind  of  service.  We  tried  many  horses.  An 
old  farmer  in  Ulster  County  sold  me  an  unsound  horse  and  I  prose 
cuted  him,  and  he  was  glad  to  settle  and  refund  before  the  suit  came 


ORGANIZA  TION.  .  9 

to  trial.  Finally,  a  thorough  horseman  came  and  volunteered  to  get 
me  a  horse ;  and  he  found  a  good  one,  for  which  I  paid  $180  (the  horse 
was  afterwards  sold  for  $2480).  Betts  of  New  York  City  made  the 
saddle,  bridle,  etc.,  for  which  we  paid  him  $60.  One  bright  Monday 
afternoon  I  rode  the  horse  down  to  Fort  Hamilton.  The  regiment 
formed  in  a  hollow  square,  and  I  made  the  presentation-speech  from 
the  saddle,  to  which  the  Colonel  made  a  brief  reply,  and  mounted  his 
charger  and  rode  away,  and  that  was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of  my  genial 
and  much-loved  friend,  Colonel  Perry." 

All  will  remember  the  scene  thus  described.     Dr.  King  is 
a  man  of  magnificent  physique,  not  unlike  that  of  Colonel 
Perry,  and  when  one  dismounted  and  the  other  mounted  the 
noble  steed — which  we  all  came  to  love — it  was  a  sight  to 
remember.    Finally,  on  September  1 5th,  orders  were  received 
for  us  to  proceed  to  Washington;  and  on  September  i/th 
the  regiment  left  Fort  Hamilton  (964  strong)  for  the  front. 
The  field  and  staff  officers  and  the  commanders  of  com 
panies  on  the  day  of  our  departure  were  as  follows: 
Colonel— JAMES  H.  PERRY. 
Lieutenant-Colonel — WM.  B.  BARTON. 
Major — OLIVER  T.  BEARD. 
Adjutant— ANTHONY  W.  GOODELL. 
Quartermaster — IRVING  M.  AVERY. 
Surgeon — JOSEPH  L.  MULFORD. 
Assistant-Surgeon— PATRICK  H.  HUMPHRIES.* 
Chaplain — WM.  P.  STRICKLAND,  D.D. 
Company  A:  Captain— Louis  H.  LENT. 
B :  JAMES  FARRELL. 

C:         "        EDWARD  R.  TRAVIS. 
D :  DANIEL  C.  KNOWLES. 

E  :  WM.  B.  COAN. 

F:  JAMES  M.  GREEN. 

G :         "       ANTHONY  ELMENDORF. 
H :         "        DUDLEY  W.  STRICKLAND. 
I :         "       JOSEPH  G.  WARD. 
K:  SAMUEL  J.  FOSTER. 

*  Assistant-Surgeon  Humphries'  name  is  given  here  in  order  to  complete 
the  staff,  although  in  fact  he  joined  the  regiment  a  little  later. 


CHAPTER    II. 
To  the  Front— September  17  to  December  31,  1861. 

Leave  Fort  Hamilton — Through  New  Jersey — Supper  at  Philadelphia — 
Through  Baltimore — At  Washington — At  Annapolis — The  Forty-seventh 
New  York — Flag  Presentation— Last  Sermon  of  Colonel  Perry— October 
i8th,  Embarked  on  Steamer  Empire  City — At  Hampton  Roads — Organiza 
tion  of  the  Expeditionary  Corps — October  2gth,  the  Expedition  Sails — The 
Fleet— Sealed  Orders— The  Storm  at  Sea— Off  Port  Royal— November 
yth,  the  Battle  of  Port  Royal — Landing  at  Hilton  Head — In  Camp — 
Contrabands — Brigadier-General  Viele — Lady  Nurses — Drill — "Jeff" — 
Sickness — End  of  the  Year  1861. 

sailed  by  steamer  John  Potter  from  the  dock  at 
Fort  Hamilton  (landing  at  Pier  I,  North  River,  New 
York  City),  through  Staten  Island  Sound  to  South  Amboy, 
N.  J.,  and  thence  proceeded  by  rail  to  Philadelphia.  Many 
will  remember  the  greetings  on  the  way:  certain  of  com 
panies  D  and  H,  whose  homes  were  along  the  line  of  the 
railroad  between  South  Amboy  and  Bordentown,  in  New 
Jersey,  were  met  by  their  friends  at  the  stations  and  loaded 
with  gifts  and  refreshments ;  notably  Tantum,  when  we 
reached  his  home  at  Windsor,  and  Captain  Knowles,  as  we 
passed  his  father's  farm  at  Yardville.  All  will  remember 
also  the  supper  at  Philadelphia,  at  the  "  Cooper  Shop  Re 
freshment  Saloon."  The  noble  City  of  Philadelphia  gave  a 
hearty  meal  to  all  the  soldiers  who  passed  through  it,  on 
their  way  to  the  front,  and  often  it  was  the  last  "  square 
meal"  the  boys  were  destined  to  have  for  years.  We 
marched  through  Baltimore  with  loaded  rifles,  every  man 
having  received  forty  rounds  of  cartridge  in  case  of  emer 
gency  ;  but  we  were  undisturbed  :  none  greeted  us  with  en 
thusiasm,  but  no  one  presumed  to  insult  us.  Colonel  Perry 
was  somewhat  affronted  by  a  pretended  invitation  to  the 


TO    THE   FRONT. 


I  I 


regiment  to  dine,  which  proved  a  fiasco.  We  reached  Wash 
ington  at  six  P.M.  on  September  i8th;  next  day  we  were 
assigned  to  temporary  quarters  in  a  brick  building  on  Penn 
sylvania  Avenue,  not  far  from  Willard's  Hotel,  and  received 
our  rations  at  the  Soldiers'  Retreat,  but  soon  went  into 
camp  on  Capitol  Hill.  We  felt  now  that  we  were  at  the 
front.  Here  one  day  we  caught  our  first  glimpse  of  President 
Lincoln  as  he  reviewed  a  regiment  of  cavalry  which  was  in 
camp  near  us.  In  company  with  Mrs.  Hanley,  the  writer 
called  at  the  White  House;  we  sent  up  our  cards,  but  we 
were  not  received.  Possibl>**we  had  forgotten  that  we  had 


UNION  REFRESHMENT  SALOON,  PHILADELPHIA. 

ceased  to  be  "  citizens"  and  had  become  soldiers.  "  Pri 
vates"  and  regimental  nurses  were  not  expected  to  call  upon 
the  Chief  Magistrate  on  passing  through  Washington.  We 
learned  the  lesson  of  docility  slowly,  but  we  did  learn  it 
at  last. 

From  September  2oth  until  October  5th  we  remained  in 
our  camp  on  Capitol  Hill,  spending  our  time  at  drill ;  here 
we  were  brigaded,  and  one  day  General  T.  W.  Sherman,  who 
was  to  be  our  commander,  inspected  our  brigade.  On  Octo 
ber  5th  we  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Annapolis,  Md. 
We  left  Washington  at  twelve  o'clock  noon,  and  arrived  at 

o 

Annapolis  the  same  night  at  eleven  o'clock.    Application  was 


12  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N,  Y.   S. 

made  to  the  authorities  of  St.  John's  College  for  permission 
to  quarter  the  regiment  in  the  college  buildings  that  night, 
but  it  was  refused ;  whereupon  Colonel  Perry  intimated  that 
"  bayonets  could  pick  locks,"  and  we  did  sleep  in  the  college 
buildings  that  night.  Our  rations  not  having  arrived,  we 
were  invited  by  the  Third  New  Hampshire  to  come  to  their 
quarters  at  the  Naval  Academy,  and  partake  of  coffee  and 
hard-tack  as  their  guests.  Next  day  we  went  into  camp  in 
rear  of  the  college  buildings,  our  camp  adjoining  that  of 
the  Forty-seventh  New  York.  From  that  day  that  brave 
regiment  and  ours  became  swotn  allies,  whose  career  in  the 
war  ran  side  by  side  for  years,  and  between  the  two  regi 
ments  a  great  friendship  existed  and  many  mutual  courtesies 
were  exchanged. 

On  the  I2th  of  October,  Mrs.  Viele,  wife  of  our  brigade 
commander,  General  Egbert  L.  Viele,  presented  the  regi 
ment  with  a  stand  of  colors.  An  address  of*  presentation 
was  made  by  Governor  Hicks  of  Maryland,  to  which  Colonel 
Perry  responded.  That  flag  was  destined  to  be  shot  into- 
shreds  at  Forjt  Wagner. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  on  the  first  Sunday  we 
were  in  Annapolis.  The  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  invited  Colonel  Perry  to  preach  for  him  in  the  even 
ing.  There  is  a  story  told,  at  the  expense  of  the  ministerial 
members  of  the  regiment,  that  the  Colonel  excused  himself, 
saying,  "  You  can  call  on  Major  Beard,  or  Captain  Knowles,. 
or  Sergeant  Irvine,  or  some  of  the  enlisted  men ;"  but  finally 
the  Colonel  did  accept  the  invitation  to  preach. 

The  congregation  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Annapolis 
were  startled  that  night  to  see  a  tall  and  dignified  minister 
ascend  their  pulpit,  arrayed  in  full  regimentals,  with  his 
sword  at  his  side ;  he  unbuckled  his  belt  and  laid  his  sword 
upon  a  pulpit  chair  as  he  knelt  to  pray.  Many  Southern 
sympathizers  in  the  congregation  left  the  church  ;  those  who- 
remained  heard  a  noble  sermon  from  a  noble  preacher.  It 
was  his  last  appearance  in  a  pulpit. 

The   officers   of   the   regiment   received    many  courtesies 


TO    THE   FRONT.  13 

-while  in  Annapolis,  especially  from  Judge  Brewer  and  his 
family.  We  now  first  learned  that  we  were  destined  to  par 
ticipate  in  an  expedition  which  was  forming  for  an  attack 
upon  some  unknown  point  on  the  Southern  coast. 

On  October  the  i8th  we  received  orders  to  move,  struck 
camp,  and  went  on  board  the  steamer  Mayflower,  which 
took  us  two  or  three  miles  down  the  river  to  the  steamer 
Empire  City,  which  lay  at  anchor  in  the  stream.  Our 
lives  and  our  fortunes  were  now  embarked  on  that  ship, 
where  we  were  assigned  narrow  quarters  for  days  to  come. 

On  October  2ist  we  sailed  for  Fortress  Monroe,  where 
the  expedition  was  to  rendezvous.  Hampton  Roads  pre 
sented  an  imposing  spectacle  in  those  days  as  the  magnifi 
cent  expedition  of  naval  vessels  and  transports,  the  greatest 
that  up  to  that  time  had  ever  sailed  under  the  American 
flag,  was  there  assembled.  The  military  forces,  12,653  in 
number,  were  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-General  T.  W. 
Sherman  ;  the  naval  portion  of  the  expedition  was  com 
manded  by  Captain  S.  F.  Dupont.  The  fleet  was  composed 
of  fifty  war-vessels  and  transports,  with  twenty-five  coal 
vessels  under  convoy  of  the  Vandalia.  The  organization 
of  the  expeditionary  corps  was  as  follows : 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  EXPEDITIONARY  CORPS,  COMMANDED  BY 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL  THOMAS  W.  SHERMAN,  U.  S.  ARMY,  OC 
TOBER  28,  1861. 

First  Brigade. 
Brigadier-General  EGBERT  L.  VIELE. 

Eighth  Maine,  Colonel  Lee  Strickland. 
Third  New  Hampshire,  Colonel  Enoch  Q.  Fellows. 
.     Forty-sixth  New  York,  Colonel  Rudolph  Rosa. 
Forty-seventh  New  York,  Colonel  Henry  Moore. 
Forty-eighth  New  York,  Colonel  James  H.  Perry. 

Second  Brigade. 
Brigadier-General  ISAAC  I.  STEVENS. 

Eighth  Michigan,  Colonel  William  M.  Fenton. 

Seventy-ninth  New  York,  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  H.  Nobles. 


14  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

Fiftieth  Pennsylvania,  Colonel  B.  C.  Christ. 

One  Hundredth  Pennsylvania,  Colonel  Daniel  Leasure. 

Third  Brigade. 
Brigadier-General  HORATIO  G.  WRIGHT. 

Sixth  Connecticut,  Colonel  John  L.  Chatfield. 
Seventh  Connecticut,  Colonel  Alfred  H.  Terry. 
Ninth  Maine,  Colonel  Rishworth  Rich. 
Fourth  New  Hampshire,  Colonel  Thomas  J.  Whipple. 

Troops  not  brigaded. 

First  New  York  Engineers,  Colonel  Edward  W.  Serrell. 
'    Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery,  Colonel  Nathaniel  W.  Brown. 
Third  U.  S.  Artillery,  Battery  E,  Captain  John  Hamilton. 

The  majority  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  remained  on 
board  the  Empire  City,  although  while  at  Hampton  Roads 
Lieutenants  Dunbar  and  Hatfield,  with  thirty  men  of  Com 
pany  C,  were  transferred  to  the  steamer  Belvidere,  and  two 
companies,  K  and  B,  to  the  steamer  Matanzas.  It  was  not 
until  October  2Qth  that  the  expedition  finally  started  ;  on 
that  day  a  noble  sight  was  to  be  seen  in  Hampton  Roads, 
\vhen,  at  the  signal  from  the  Wabash,  the  flagship  of  Captain 
Dupont,  the  great  armada  sailed  away  to  sea.  The  Wabash 
led  the  way,  and  was  followed  by  all  the  ships,  moving  in 
three  parallel  lines  and  occupying  a  space  of  some  twelve 
miles  each  way ;  the  transports  and  war-vessels  were  inter 
mingled,  so  that  in  case  of  danger  the  latter  might  act  as 
convoys  to  the  former.  The  transport  vessels  were  the 
Atlantic,  the  Baltic  (each  of  which  carried  a  full  regiment 
of  men  and  large  quantities  of  stores),  the  Vanderbilt,  the 
Ocean  Queen,  the  Ericsson,  Empire  City,  Daniel  Webster,  and 
Great  Republic  (the  latter  vessel  had  been  employed  in  a 
similar  service  by  the  British  Government  during  the 
Crimean  War).  In  addition  to  these  were  many  smaller 
vessels,  and  indeed  several  mere  river-boats,  which  were 
taken  along  on  account  of  their  light  draught,  and  which 


TO    THE  FRONT.  15 

were  not  fitted  for  an  ocean  voyage.  The  entire  tonnage  of 
the  transports  was  estimated  at  forty  thousand  tons. 

The  ships  moved  out  to  sea  in  three  columns,  in  the  fol 
lowing  order  :  The  Wabash,  flanked  by  the  gunboats  Pawnee, 
Ottawa,  Curlew,  Isaac  T.  Smith,  Seneca,  Pembina,  Unadilla, 
Penguin,  and  R.  B.  Forbes.  The  Baltic,  towing  the  Ocean 
Express,  led  the  column  on  the  left,  and  was  supported  by  the 
Pocahontas.  The  Illinois  towed  the  Golden  Eagle,  and  was 
followed  by  the  Locust  Point,  Star  of  the  South,  Parkersburg, 
Belvidere,  Alabama,  Coatzacoalcas,  Marion,  Governor,  and 
Mohican.  The  Atlantic  led  the  central  line,  and  was  follow 
ed  by  the  Vanderbilt,  towing  the  Great  Republic;  the  Ocean 
Queen,  towing  the  Zenas  Coffin;  and  these  were  followed 
by  the  Winfield  Scott,  Potomac,  Cahawba,  Oriental  Union, 
Vixen,  and  O.  M.  Petit.  The  Empire  City  led  the  right, 
followed  by  the  Ericsson,  Philadelphia,  Ben  De  Ford,  Florida, 
Roanoke,  Matanzas,  Daniel  Webster,  Augusta,  Mayflower, 
Peerless,  Ariel,  Mercury,  Osceola,  and  two  ferryboats.  The 
twenty-five  coal-barges  convoyed  by  the  Vandalia  had  been 
sent  out  the  day  before,  with  instructions  to  rendezvous 
off  the  Savannah  River,  so  as  to  mislead  the  enemy  as  to 
our  real  destination. 

The  expedition  sailed  under  sealed  orders,  of  which  every 
ship  had  a  copy,  and  the  instructions  were  not  to  break  the 
seal  unless  the  fleet  should  be  dispersed  in  a  storm.  Great 
curiosity  existed  concerning  our  destination.  Many  of  the 
men  had  never  before  been  at  sea,  and  the  quarters  of  the 
private  soldiers  on  the  transports  were  cramped  and  poor, 
and  what  with  sea-sickness,  foul  air,  and  filthy  quarters,  the 
discomforts  were  many.  However,  the  voyage  would  have 
been  short  and  less  memorable  had  it  not  been  for  the  great 
storm  which  broke  upon  us  after  we  had  passed  Cape  Hat- 
teras.  The  writer  has  twice  crossed  the  ocean,  and  five 
times  since  then  has  passed  Hatteras,  but  never  has  wit 
nessed  so  terrible  a  storm  at  sea.  It  lasted  for  nearly  a 
week.  Four  of  the  transports  were  lost,  but  it  is  a  surpris 
ing  fact  that  not  more  than  a  dozen  persons  perished.  With 


1 6  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

so  large  a  number  of  unseaworthy  vessels  in  the  fleet,  it  is 
wonderful  that  the  casualties  should  have  been  so  small,  for 
the  fury  of  the  storm  was  terrible.  The  vessels  lost  were 
the  Governor,  Peerless,  Osceola,  and  Union.  The  Governor 
floundered  on  Sunday,  November  3d.  She  had  on  board  a 
battalion  of  marines,  but  they  were  saved  by  the  frigate 
Sabine,  excepting  a  corporal  and  three  men,  who  were 
drowned.  The  Peerless  was  a  small  Lake  steamer,  loaded 
with  beef  cattle  ;  her  officers  and  crew  were  saved.  The 
propeller  Osceola,  also  loaded  with  beef-cattle,  was  wrecked 
on  North  Island,  and  her  crew  were  made  prisoners.  The 
Union  went  ashore  off  Beaufort,  N.  C,  and  her  cargo  was 
lost.  Her  crew  and  a  few  soldiers  aboard  were  captured. 
The  steamer  Winfield  Scott,  which  was  subsequently  wrecked 
while  we  were  on  board  of  her,  barely  escaped  destruction 
in  the  storm.  The  Belvidere,  with  Lieutenants  Dunbar  and 
Hatfield  and  the  detachment  of  Company  C  on  board,  was 
disabled,  and  put  back  to  Fortress  Monroe.  The  storm  was 
grand  as  it  was  terrible,  and  it  scattered  that  noble  fleet  of 
vessels  to  the  winds.  It  has  often  been  compared  to  the 
tempest  which  destroyed  the  Spanish  Armada  three  cen 
turies  before.  From  the  deck  of  the  Matanzas,  on  which 
the  writer  was,  on  the  day  before  the  storm  the  three  long 
lines  of  war-ships  and  transports,  that  stretched  as  far  away 
as  the  eye  could  see,  were  visible — a  noble  and  majestic 
sight.  On  the  morning,  when  the  storm  subsided,  from  that 
same  deck  not  a  sail  was  in  sight.  Had  they  gone  down  in 
the  sea  ?  Were  they  scattered  so  far  apart  that  no  one  of  the 
ships  was  in  sight  of  another?  What  had  become  of  the 
weaker  and  less  seaworthy  vessels  ?  It  was  a  time  of  anxi 
ety,  as  the  storm  itself  had  been  to  many  a  time  of  terror. 
The  sealed  orders  were  broken,  and  then  for  the  first  time 
we  learned  that  our  destination  was  Port  Royal  Harbor,  on 
•the  coast  of  South  Carolina. 

The  fleet  arrived  off  the  bar  at  Port  Royal,  on  November 
4th ;  soundings  were  made,  and  the  outer  harbor  was 
buoyed,  and  the  next  day  the  naval  vessels  moved  over 


TO    THE   FRONT.  \J 

the  bar,  and  drove  back  the  mosquito  fleet  of  Commo 
dore  Tatnall.  The  dangers  of  the  sea  were  behind  us, 
but  we  were  now  confronted  by  dangers  on  the  land.  The 
Confederates  had  erected  two  forts,  one  on  either  side 
of  the  entrance  of  Port  Royal  Harbor:  the  one  on  the 
north  at  Bay  Point,  Phillips  Island,  was  named  Fort  Beau- 
regard  ;  that  on  the  south,  on  Hil 
ton  Head  Island,  Fort  Walker. 
Fort  Walker  was  a  regular  work, 
and  mounted  twenty -four  guns; 
Fort  Beauregard  mounted  twenty 
guns.  The  forces  at  Fort  Walker 
were  commanded  by  General  T.  F. 
Drayton  of  the  rebel  army,  whose 
mansion  was  near  by;  his  com 
mand  numbered  1837  men.  The 
garrison  of  Fort  Beauregard  was  640 

men,  under  Colonel   R.  G.   M.   Dunevant.     In   addition  to 
these  forces  on  the  land,  the  Confederates  had  a  little  squad- 


FORT  WALKER. 


FORT  BEAUREGARD. 


ron,  already  referred  to,  called  the  "  mosquito  fleet,"  com 
manded  by  Commodore  Josiah  Tatnall.  At  eight  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  November  /th  the  signal  was  given  for 
the  Union  vessels  to  get  underway,  and  at  half-past  nine  the 
memorable  naval  battle  commenced.  The  plan  of  attack 
was  simple  but  unique.  It  was  ordered  that  the  ships  pass 
up  midway  between  Forts  Walker  and  Beauregard  (which 
were  about  two  miles  apart),  receiving  and  returning  the' 


18 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 


fire  of  both,  sailing  in  an  ellipse.  The  Wabash  led  the 
way,  next  came  the  Susquehanna,  then  all  the  ships.  This 
was  the  first  battle  in  history  in  which  a  steam-navy  had 
fought  land-batteries  while  sailing  in  a  circle,  although  the 
attack  of  Admiral  Dundas  in  the  harbor  of  Sebastopol 
seven  years  before  was  somewhat  similar.  Dupont's  great 
est  credit  for  his  work  that  day  lies  in  the  splendid  victory 


PLAN  OF  BATTLE  OF  PORT  ROYAL. 


which  he  won  with  such  little  loss.  The  battle  was  a  mag 
nificent  spectacle,  as  we  witnessed  it  from  the  decks  of  the 
transports  anchored  off  the  bar.  The  ships  kept  sailing 
around  in  their  circle,  belching  forth  their  fiery  volleys,  now 
at  Fort  Beauregard  on  the  north,  and  now  at  Fort  Walker  on 
the  south  ;  and  all  we  could  do  for  our  comrades  of  the  navy 
was  to  cheer  them  from  the  transports  throughout  the  day. 
"At  half-past  eleven  the  flag  at  Fort  Walker  was  shot  away ; 


TO    THE   FRONT.  19 

at  a  quarter-past  one  the  fort  was  abandoned.  Fort  Beaure- 
gard  also  had  been  silenced,  and  the  garrisons  of  both  had 
fled.  The  guns  of  the  Federal  navy  had  done  fatal  work,  for 
the  dead  and  dying  were  on  every  side,  and  if  to  fight  their 
guns  in  the  fortifications  had  been  perilous  to  the  enemy, 
the  retreat  was  hardly  less  so.  Of  course  it  was  precipitous, 
but  the  majority  of  both  garrisons  escaped.  The  loss  on 
board  the  fleet  was  slight ;  Dupont  reported  his  casualties 
at  thirty-one,  eight  only  being  killed.  The  vessels  engaged 
were,  however,  more  or  less  injured  by  the  Confederate 


ADMIRAL  DUPONT. 


guns.     The    WabasJi,    for   instance,  was  struck    thirty-four 
times. 

The  fact  that  this  was  our  first  victory  in  the  State  of 
South  Carolina  gave  it  peculiar  celebrity.  That  State  had 
been  the  first  to  secede  and  the  chief  promoter  of  the  Rebel 
lion,  and  now  that  the  Federal  forces  had  secured  a  footing 
•upon  its  disloyal  soil,  loyal  people  everywhere  were  greatly 
rejoiced.  The  American  navy  covered  itself  with  a  lasting 
glory  by  its  achievements  on  that  day.  By  the  capture  of 
Port  Royal  the  federal  forces  gained  a  magnificent  naval 
depot  and  a  firm  foothold,  from  which  she  was  never  driven; 


20 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


MAP  OF  SEA  ISLANDS. 
"SCALE  OF  M.LES  


1 


UANbEC 

PORT" 
ROYAL     ^     ••__       i     i.^^Kr^j^z-^1     .«•_  ~—*«rffcE 

the   re- 
g  i  on     of 
the     famous 
Sea   Island   cot 
ton.     It   also  be 
came  a   sort  of  the 
atre  for  certain  philan- 
RD        thropic     experiments     of 
antislavery       advocates      in 
those  days.     Beaufort   District 
was  perhaps  the  richest  district  in 
the   whole   Palmetto    State.     It    con 
tained    fifteen   hundred   square    miles  of 
territory,  and  annually  produced  fifty  million 
pounds  of  rice  and  fourteen  thousand  bales 
of  the  finest   cotton.     It   had   a   population  of 
about  forty  thousand  souls,  more  than  three  quarters 
of  whom  were  slaves. 
The  right  wing  of  our   regiment  landed  at  Hilton  Head 
Island  on  November  Qth,  and  the   left  wing  the   next  day. 
Transports   everywhere  were  discharging    troops,   and    the 
harbor  presented  a   most  animated   appearance.     We  were 
marched  about  a  half  mile   back   from   the  shore,  and  went 
into  camp  in  the  midst  of  a  cotton-field.     Scouting  parties 
were  sent   out   over  the    island,  and  they  captured  horses, 
mules,  chickens,  pigs,  and  about  everything  they  could  lay 
their  hands   on,  and   divided   the   "  eatables"   between    the 
different    companies.     That,  however,  was   not    considered 


TO    THE   FRON7\ 


21 


"  stealing,"  but  "confiscating."  From  ten  to  twelve  every 
morning  we  had  battalion  drill ;  from  two  to  four  every 
afternoon,  company  drill.  Sometimes  we  were  drilled  by 
brigade.  The  work  the  boys  loved  the  least  was  "  fatigue 
duty,"  though  they  were  compelled  to  do  much  of  it,  work- 


DRAYTON'S  MANSION. 

ing  on  the  fortifications  which  General  Sherman  foolishly 
persisted  in  erecting.  Meanwhile  all  sorts  of  rude  houses 
were  hastily  constructed  at  Hilton  Head;  an  immense  wharf 
was  built  ;  and  vessels  of  all  sorts,  laden  with  all  manner  of 
supplies,  came  from  the  North,  and  in  a  short  time  quite  a 


POPE'S  HOUSE. 

town  had  sprung  up.  Meanwhile  the  gun-boats  had  sailed 
up  all  the  little  rivers  and  taken  possession  of  many  islands. 
The  aristocratic  city  of  Beaufort,  on  Port  Royal  Island,  was 
occupied,  only  one  white  man  being  found  in  the  place  ; 
everywhere  the  white  people  abandoned  their  homes  and 


22  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

fled,  and  only  the  negroes  remained  behind  :  they  thronged 
the  camps  in  great  numbers,  often  coming  into  camp,  carry 
ing  in  little  bundles,  all  their  worldly  possessions,  having  a 
simple  faith  that  when  they  reached  "  Massa  Linkum's  sol 
diers"  they  would  be  free.  The  panic  which  prevailed  on 
these  islands  of  South  Carolina  at  our  approach,  and  the 
precipitous  flight  of  the  enemy  made  many  subsequently 
believe  (as  Colonel  Perry  believed  at  the  time)  that  had  we 
followed  up  our  victory  at  Port  Royal  by  marching  imme 
diately  against  Charleston  or  Savannah,  one  of  these  cities 
might  easily  have  been  taken.  On  November  24th  there 
was  a  general  inspection  and  review  by  Generals  Sherman 
and  Viele.  Our  brigade-commander  was  General  Egbert 
L.  Viele,  a  well-known  engineer,  who  had  been  prominent 
in  the  construction  of  the  Central  Park  in  New  York  City, 
and  who  has  recently  been  a  Park  Commissioner,  and  is  at 
this  writing  (1885)  a  member  of  Congress  from  New  York. 

Let  me  here  recall  the  names  of  the  four  ladies  who  had 
accompanied  us  from  the  North  to  act  as  nurses  in  the  hos 
pital.  They  were  Mrs.  Hanley,  Mrs.  Brooks,  Miss  Reward, 
and  Miss  Fox.  Many  of  the  boys  who  were  sick  in  the 
hospitals  will  recall  their  kindness.  Camp-life  at  Hilton 
Head  was  now  a  mononotous  routine ;  the  climate  also  was 
unhealthy.  We  obtained  water  by  sinking  barrels  in  the 
sand.  Yet  our  rations  were  good  ;  we  received  our  pay  regu 
larly  ;  the  sutler  was  handy,  and  on  the  whole  we  had  a  good 
time.  Colonel  Perry  was  a  magnificent  drill-master;  the 
regiment's  efficiency  at  drill  soon  became  famous.  But  few 
changes  up  to  this  time  had  occurred  among  us. 

We  received  frequent  mails  from  the  North  ;  also  boxes 
which  came  to  us  by  express  from  the  good  people  at  home. 
Who  does  not  remember  the  pleasure  he  always  found  in 
reading  his  letters  and  opening  his  box  when  it  arrived  ? 
One  day  there  came  into  camp  a  contraband  having  two 
pups  for  sale.  The  writer  purchased  one  for  a  quarter  of  a 
dollar ;  Arthur  McGuigan,  of  Company  D,  the  other  at  the 
same  price.  The  former  dog  drank  a  can  of  condensed  milk 


TO    THE   FRONT.  2$ 

(price  fifty  cents)  the  first  day.  His  owner  found  him  an 
expensive  boarder,  and  disposed  of  him.  McGuigan's  dog 
was  named  "Jeff,"  and  the  company  adopted  him;  and  he 
became  at  last  a  hero,  and  died  in  battle,  years  afterwards, 
at  Cold  Harbor,  being  shot  dead  while  barking  up  a  tree  at 
a  rebel  sharp-shooter.  Every  one  will  recall  for  himself 
many  incidents  of  those  first  weeks  in  camp  on  the  soil  of 
South  Carolina.  The  saddest  memory  will  be  that  a  number 
of  the  men  who  had  had  the  measles  on  shipboard  had  taken 
cold  from  exposure  during  the  storm,  and  died  after  reach 
ing  Hilton  Head.  But  we  were  not  unhappy  in  those  days; 
here  we  came  to  know  each  other,  and  began  to  appreciate 
the  temper  of  the  men  with  whom  we  were  associated,  and 
with  whom  we  were  yet  destined  to  stand  shoulder  to 
shoulder  in  front  of  fiery  batteries  and  gleaming  lines  of 
steel.  Thus  came  to  an  end  the  year  1861,  and  thus  ends 
this  chapter,  with  the  regiment  "  at  the  front" 


CHAPTER  III. 

Port  Royal  Ferry  to  Fort  Pulaski— January  i,  1862,  to 
May  31,  1862. 

Expedition  to  Port  Royal  Ferry — Report  of  Colonel  Perry — Back  to  Camp — 
Flags  Presented— Captain  Ward  Resigns — Private  Reilly  and  the  Bomb 
shell — Captain  Q.  A.  Gillmore — January  25th,  leave  Hilton  Head — Wreck 
of  the  Winfield  Scott — Davvfuskie  Island  —  Our  Camp  Revisited  in 
1884 — Major  Beard — History  of  the  Locality — Batteries  "Vulcan"  and 
"Hamilton"  on  Jones'  and  Bird's  Islands  —  Narrative  of  Captain 
Knowles — The  "Cold  Chisel"  Brigade — Captain  Gillmore  on  Tybee 
Island — General  Hunter  Succeeds  General  T.  W.  Sherman— April  ioth, 
Bombardment  of  Fort  Pulaski — Capitulation — Rattlesnakes— The  Goat — 
News  from  the  North — General  Grant  at  Shiloh — The  Sutler— May  25th, 
leave  Dawfuskie  Island  for  Fort  Pulaski. 

the  first  day  of  the  New  Year,  1862,  we  met  the  enemy 
for  the  first  time  in  battle.  The  engagement  is  known 
as  that  of  Port  Royal  Ferry.  At  that  point,  on  the  Coosaw 
River,  the  Confederates  made  their  only  stand  in  defence  of 
the  Sea  Island  District.  They  had  a  fortified  position  there, 
from  which  it  was  determined  to  drive  them.  A  joint  land 
and  naval  expedition  was  formed  for  this  purpose.  The 
former  was  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Stevens ;  the 
latter  by  Commander  C.  R.  P.  Rogers.  General  Stevens' 
forces  consisted  of  his  brigade,  Seventy-ninth  New  York  High 
landers,  Fiftieth  Pennsylvania,  Eighth  Michigan,  and  One 
Hundredth  Pennsylvania  (Roundheads),  and  two  regiments 
from  General  Viele's  brigade,  the  Forty-seventh  and  Forty- 
eighth  New  York,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Perry.  The 
naval  forces  consisted  of  the  gunboats  Ottawa,  Pembina, 
Hale,  and  Seneca,  the  ferryboat  Ellen,  and  four  large 
launches  belonging  to  the  frigate  Wabash,  each  carrying  a 
twelve-pound  howitzer.  We  embarked  at  Hilton  Head  on 


PORT  ROYAL   FERRY    TO   FORT  PULASKI.  2$ 

December  3ist,  and  the  next  morning  about  eight  o'clock 
landed  near  the  cotton-gin  on  Adams'  plantation.  The 
Eighth  Michigan  of  Stevens'  brigade  were  deployed  as 
skirmishers,  and  the  gun-boats,  which  had  also  arrived, 
opened  a  brisk  fire  upon  the  woods  in  their  front.  Soon  a 
battery  near  the  ferry  opened  upon  our  forces  with  grape 
and  canister,  but  the  Eighth  Michigan  quickly  silenced 
them.  The  Forty-seventh  and  Forty-eighth  New  York, 
under  Colonel  Perry,  constituted  the  reserve  at  that  little 
engagement.  They  were,  however,  brought  into  action  by 
being  thrown  forward  in  line  on  the  right,  about  at  right 
angles  to  Stevens'  brigade.  As  we  advanced  we  soon  un 
masked  an  ambushed  battery,  which  apparently  was  well 
defended,  along  the  skirt  of  woods  in  our  front.  Colonel 
Perry  at  once  ordered  out  skirmishers  from  the  Forty-eighth 
to  the  front  and  from  the  Forty-seventh  to  the  left,  to  ascer 
tain  if  it  was  practicable  to  take  the  battery  by  the  flank. 
That  was  barely  accomplished  before  orders  were  received 
for  us  to  retire — the  enemy  had  been  driven  from  their  for 
tifications  at  the  ferry. 

Meanwhile  the  sailors  observed  our  movements  from  the 
mast-heads  of  the  gun-boats,  and  threw  their  shells  over  our 
heads  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy.  The  Highlanders  took 
the  fortifications  at  the  ferry  with  great  gallantry,  and  with 
a  loss  of  nine  wounded.  Who  will  not  remember  that  New 
Year's  Day,  when  for  the  first  time  we  heard  the  "  rebel 
yell"?  While  the  skirmish  was  in  progress  we  were  ordered 
to  protect  ourselves  by  lying  down  between  the  corn-rows 
in  the  field,  Colonel  Perry  himself,  however,  standing  erect 
through  it  all.  I  cannot  better  describe  our  part  in  the 
work  of  that  day  than  by  giving  entire  the  report  of  Colonel 
Perry.  This  was  the  only  occasion  when  he  led  us  in  per 
son  in  a  fight,  and  therefore  the  only  report  of  a  battle  which 
is  from  his  pen.  True  the  engagement  was  but  a  skirmish, 
and  we  would  have  made  little  note  of  it  in  after-years;  but 
because  it  was  our  first  engagement,  and  the  only  one  in 
which  we  were  to  be  led  by  the  gallant  soldier  under  whom 


26  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.    Y.   S.   VOLS. 

we  had  enlisted,  the  battle  of  Port  Royal  Ferry  is  cherished 
in  our  memory,  not  with  undue,  but  possibly  with  dispro 
portionate  interest. 

Report  of  Colonel  James  H.  Perry,  Forty-eighth  New  York  Infantry. 

HEADQUARTERS  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT 

NEW  YORK  VOLUNTEERS, 
HILTON  HEAD,  S.  C.,  January  3,  1862. 

CAPTAIN  :  I  beg  leave  respectfully  to  submit  for  the  information  of 
the  General  commanding  the  following  report  of  the  participation  of 
my  command  in  the  affair  at  Port  Royal  Ferry  on  the  ist  instant: 

On  account  of  some  delay  on  the  part  of  the  Forty-seventh  New 
York,  I  detained  my  column  at  Adams'  plantation  (the  place  of  land 
ing)  until  the  latest  moment,  and  finally  commenced  the  march  before 
the  arrival  of  two  companies  of  that  regiment.  I  had  advanced  per 
haps  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  when  I  received  an  order  from  the 
General  to  bring  forward  my  command  with  the  greatest  expedition. 
We  immediately  advanced  at  double-quick  until  we  overtook  the  sup 
porting  column,  when  I  received  notice  of  the  existence  of  a  battery 
threatening  our  right  flank,  and  was  ordered  to  attack  and  capture  it. 
In  obedience  to  the  order,  I  immediately  deployed  my  column,  and 
forming  double  line  of  battle  advanced  upon  the  position  of  the  enemy, 
the  Forty-eighth  New  York,  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Barton,  leading,  supported  by  the  Forty-seventh  New  York,  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fraser. 

When  my  first  line  was  fairly  under  fire  at  long  range  it  was  halted 
under  shelter  of  the  timber  and  protected  by  the  inequalities  of  the 
ground,  and  I  sent  forward  two  companies  of  skirmishers,  with  orders 
to  ascertain  the  exact  position  of  the  battery,  the  best  method  of  ap 
proaching  it,  the  number  of  its  guns,  and  with  what  force  it  was 
supported.  The  skirmishers  were  met  by  a  sharp  fire  of  artillery  and 
musketry,  but  they  went  forward  steadily  and  rapidly,  and  soon  re 
ported  to  me  that  a  marsh  covered  the  front  of  the  enemy's  position, 
and  that  they  had  at  least  four  guns,  supported  by  a  heavy  force  of 
infantry.  I  then  advanced  the  Forty-seventh  New  York  for  the  pur 
pose  of  manoeuvring  upon  the  left  flank  and  gaining  the  rear  of  the 
enemy  before  attacking  in  front.  The  Forty-seventh  pressed  through 
the  timber,  and  had  gained  a  position  well  on  the  left  and  rear,  and 
their  advance  had  exchanged  a  few  shots  with  the  enemy,  when  I  re 
ceived  the  General's  order  to  retire,  the  battery  on  the  river  having 
been  taken  and  the  object  of  the  expedition  accomplished.  I  drew 
off  my  men  without  loss.  Three  members  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regi- 


PORT  ROYAL   FERRY   TO   FORT  PULASKL  2-j 

ment  were  slightly  wounded,  but  not  a  man  was  disabled  or  rendered 
unfit  for  duty. 

I  am  happy  to  add,  that  the  men  and  officers  of  my  command  be 
haved  with  great  steadiness  and  resolution,  obeying  the  word  of  com 
mand  under  fire  as  if  they  had  been  on  drill. 

Very  respectfully,  J.  H.  PERRY, 

Colonel  Forty-eighth  Regiment  ATew  York  Volunteers. 

We  spent  that  first  night  of  the  new  year  on  the  battle 
field,  not  being  permitted  to  build  fires  lest  we  should  at 
tract  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  as  we  were  not  prepared 
with  suitable  clothing  to  spend  a  winter's  night  out  of  doors, 
we  shivered  ;  indeed,  with  the  exception  of  the  winter  nights 
on  Belle  Island,  the  writer  does  not  ever  remember  to  have 
suffered  so  from  the  cold  as  during  that  long  and  chilly 
night  at  Port  Royal  Ferry.  In  the  morning  we  re-embarked 
and  returned  to  Hilton  Head,  having  destroyed  tne  rebel 
works  and  accomplished  the  object  of  our  expedition.  And 
so  our  first  engagement  with  the  enemy,  though  merely — to- 
quote  Colonel  Perry's  words — "an  affair,"  was  a  victory. 
The  reason  of  the  Confederates  for  making  a  stand  at  Port 
Royal  Ferry  was  because  the  "  Shell  Road "  (the  only 
thoroughfare  by  land  between  Beaufort  and  Charleston) 
reaches  the  Coosaw  River  at  this  point.  Although  we 
whipped  the  enemy  in  this  little  battle  they  reoccupied 
their  works  immediately  after  we  abandoned  them,  and  the 
Coosaw  River  continued  to  be  the  dividing  line  between  the 
contending  armies  for  the  next  three  years. 

On  January  I2th  a  set  of  colors,  consisting  of  a  regimental 
flag  and  two  "  markers,"  was  presented  to  the  regiment  from 
friends  in  Brooklyn. 

On  January  iSth,  Captain  Ward  of  Company  I  resigned. 
We  remained  in  our  camp  at  Hilton  Head  during  the  most 
of  that  month.  Many  amusing  incidents  might  be  recalled, 
if  space  would  permit,  that  served  to  break  the  monotony 
of  camp-life  in  those  days.  For  instance,  while  Company 
B  was  on  provost-guard  one  day,  Private  Patrick  Reilly 
rolled  an  unexploded  eleven-inch  bombshell  up  to  a  camp- 


28  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    N.    Y.    S,    VOLS. 

fire  and  began  to  probe  the  vent  of  it  with  an  ignited  stick; 
of  course  it  exploded,  making  great  havoc  everywhere,  but 
leaving  Private  Reilly  absolutely  unharmed.  From  that 
day  he  carried  the  nickname  of  "  Bombshell  Reilly.''  At 
that  time  Captain  Quincy  A.  Gillmore  was  chief-engineer 
of  the  Department  of  the  South,  a  gallant  soldier,  destined 
hereafter  to  be  associated  as  our  commander  with  the 
greater  part  of  our  history  as  a  regiment.  To  him  General 
Sherman  intrusted  the  task  of  the  reduction  of  Fort  Pulaski, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  River.  In  aid  of  that  under 
taking  it  was  determined  to  occupy  Dawfuskie  Island,  S.  C., 
and  to  construct  batteries  on  two  mud  islands  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  Savannah  River,  in  order  to  cut  off  communica 
tion  between  Fort  Pulaski  and  the  city  of  Savannah.  It 
was  that  part  of  the  work  which  was  intrusted  to  us.  On 
Januar>^25th  we  broke  camp  at  Hilton  Head,  and  marched 
to  Saybrook's  Landing.  One  wing  of  the  regiment,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Barton,  was  safely  landed  at  Haig's  (or 
Hague's)  Point  on  Dawfuskie  ;  all  but  Corporal  Dutcher 
of  Company  A,  who  walked  overboard  in  his  sleep  and  was 
drowned.  (His  was  the  eighth  death  since  leaving  Camp 
Wym'an.) 

But  while  the  other  wing  was  on  board  the  Winfield  Scott, 
passing  through  "  Pull-and-be-damned  "  Creek,  the  ship  went 
ashore  on  a  tongue  of  oyster-beds  which  projected  from 
Long  Pine  Island.  As  the  tide  went  down,  she  broke  in 
two  in  the  middle,  and  left  us  "  wrecked  "  upon  that  barren 
sea-island.  We  had  on  board  twenty  days'  provisions,  which 
were  saved.  The  horses  were  disembarked  with  difficulty, 
being  pushed  overboard  and  made  to  swim  ashore.  I  re 
member  that  the  colonel's  horse  insisted  on  swimming  to 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  creek,  got  fast  in  the  mud,  and 
was  extricated  with  great  difficulty.  Some  of  the  boys 
went  out  on  a  scouting  expedition,  and  succeeded  in  finding 
a  venerable  cow,  which  they  killed.  But  our  brief  stay  on 
Long  Pine  Island  is  particularly  memorable  because  we 
there  discovered  the  ugoat;"  we  took  him  with  us,  and  he 


30  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

became  a  regimental  pet.  The  steamer  Mayflower  came 
to  our  rescue  the  next  day,  and  landed  us  on  Dawfuskie 
Island,  where,  in  a  fine  piece  of  woods,  on  February  I,  1862, 
•we  finally  went  into  camp.  Dawfuskie  Island  was  a  beauti 
ful  spot  in  those  days.  Monjion's  and  Stoddard's  planta 
tions  were  especially  fine.  Great  forests  of  pine  and  oak 
were  on  the  island,  and  the  magnificent  Spanish  moss, 
which  is  the  chief  beauty  of  the  far-famed  cemetery  of 
Bonaventure  at  Savannah,  festooned  the  branches  of  the 
forest.  We  erected  our  tents  and  built  arbors  over  them, 
and,  gathering  moss  from  the  woods,  covered  the  roofs  and 
sides  of  the  arbors  with  it,  until  our  camp  on  Dawfuskie  be 
came  perhaps  the  most  picturesque  of  all  our  "  resting- 
places"  in  the  war.  We  cleared  a  parade-ground  in  front  of 
.the  camp,  and  there  the  daily  "  drill "  continued. 

Since  this  history  was  begun  the  writer  has  revisited  Daw 
fuskie  Island.  In  company  with  Captain  Knowles  of  Com 
pany  D,  the  Rev.  W.  N.  Searles  of  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  and  the 
Rev.  A.  M.  Palmer  of  Staten  Island,  he  landed  again  at  Daw 
fuskie,  at  Cooper's  Landing,  in  April,  1884.  We  expected 
to  find  the  Southern  planters  back  in  their  houses,  and  that, 
twenty-two  years  after  we  had  evacuated  their  beautiful  island, 
they  would  have  re-established  their  homes  upon  it.  We 
were  surprised  to  find  it  occupied  mostly  by  a  few  negroes 
who  cultivated  little  patches  of  cotton,  sweet  potatoes,  and 
water-melons,  near  by  their  cabins.  These  cabins  were  not 
better  than  they  were  in  the  war ;  and  the  old  mansions  of 
the  planters  were  unoccupied,  and  fallen  into  decay.  A 
single  new  and  unpretentious  house  has  been  erected  along 
the  shore.  We  strolled  up  the  sandy  road  and  easily  found 
the  piece  of  woods  where  our  camp  had  formerly  been.  The 
ground  was  overgrown  with  briers  and  brush,  but  it  recalled 
many  memories  of  the  months  we  spent  there  in  camp,  and 
the  dear  fellows  who  had  been  our  comrades  then. 

Major  Beard  of  our  regiment  distinguished  himself  at  this 
time  by  removing  certain  obstructions  which  the  rebels  had 
placed  in  Wall's  Cut,  an  artificial  channel  connecting  New 


PORT  ROYAL   FERRY   TO   FORT  PULASKI.  31 

and  Wright  rivers.  Wall's  Cut  and  Dawfuskie  Island  were 
historic  places;  for  on  the  i6th  of  September,  1779,  when 
the  city  of  Savannah  was  in  the  possession  of  the  English, 
and  was  invested  by  the  French  forces  under  Count  d'Es- 
taing  and  the  American  army  under  General  Lincoln, 
Colonel  Maitland  of  the  English  army  arrived  at  Dawfuskie 
Island  and  desired  to  form  a  junction  with  Provost  in 
Savannah.  He  was  unable  to  do  so  because  the  Savannah 
River  was  in  the  possession  of  the  French.  He  chanced, 
however,  upon  some  negro  fishermen  who  were  familiar 
with  the  creeks  and  marshes  thereabouts,  and  they  informed 
him  of  the  passage  through  Wall's  Cut.  Aided  by  the  tide 
and  a  dense  fog  he  succeeded  by  this  route  in  reaching 
Savannah,  and  the  British  garrison  thus  reinforced,  success 
fully  resisted  the  combined  attack  of  the  French  and  Ameri 
can  allied  forces,  a  few  days  afterwards.  We  were  therefore 
on  historic  ground  at  Dawfuskie  Island. 

And  now  began  one  of  the  most  difficult  undertakings 
(and  one  of  the  most  successful)  of  our  entire  history.  True 
it  was  but  subsidiary  to  the  work  of  «our  comrades  on  Ty- 
bee  Island  in  the  reduction  of  Fort  Pulaski,  but  it  was 
nevertheless  of  the  greatest  importance. 

Jones'  and  Bird's  Islands  are  two  flat  marsh-islands,  over 
flowed  twice  a  day  by  the  tides,  opposite  each  other  on  the 
north  and  south  banks  of  the  Savannah  River.  It  was  de 
termined  that  batteries  should  be  erected  upon  them  to  cut 
off  communication  between  Pulaski  and  Savannah.  It  was 
a  work  of  great  difficulty,  but  it  was  successfully  accom 
plished,  and  chiefly  by  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment.  The 
Seventh  Connecticut,  however,  and  later  some  other  regi 
ments,  aided  in  the  work.  To  begin  with,  some  eight  or  ten 
thousand  logs  were  cut  in  the  woods  at  Dawfuskie,  and  car 
ried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  men  to  the  river-shore.  (Who 
that  recalls  that  lugging  of  logs  will  not  feel  his  shoulders 
ache  to  this  very  day  ?)  Thence  the  logs  were  transported 
on  boats  to  Jones  Island,  and  used  to  build  a  causeway,  over 
which  the  heavy  cannons  were  dragged.  The  islands  them- 


32  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

selves  are  a  mere  formation  of  mud,  of  the  consistency  of 
jelly,  from  four  to  twelve  feet  in  depth,  which  the  river  has 
deposited  upon  shoals  of  sand.  The  surface  is  covered  with 
matted  sea -grass.  It  was  a  herculean  task  to  cross  this 
island,  a  distance  of  a  mile,  and  drag  heavy  cannons  over 
loose  planks  laid  across  the  logs  and  place  them  in  batteries. 
When  the  guns  slipped  off  in  the  mud  they  had  to  be  lifted 
on  the  planks  again  by  main  strength.  But  difficult  as  it 
was,  the  task  was  successfully  accomplished,  and  the  guns 
mounted  on  heavy  plank-platforms  at  Venus  Point.  So 
"  Battery  Vulcan,"  on  Jones'  Island,  and  subsequently  "  Bat 
tery  Hamilton,"  on  Bird's  Island,  opposite,  were  erected. 
The  work  was  all  done  at  night.  We  are  glad  to  be  able  to 
furnish  from  the  graphic  pen  of  the  Rev.  D.  C.  Knowles 
(then  Captain  of  Company  D),  who  was  in  command  of  the 
detachment  which  finally  succeeded  in  moving  the  guns 
across  the  island  and  erecting  them  on  the  battery  one 
dismal  night,  an  account  of  his  labors.  He  also  tells  the 
story  of  the  most  ridiculous  project  ever  devised  for  at 
tacking  an  "  iron-clad,"  known  among  us  as  the  Cold-chisel 
Brigade.  He  writes : 

"On  February  12,  1862,  I  was  ordered  to  go  down  to  Jones'  Island 
with  Lieutenants  Miller  and  Lockwood,  and  a  detail  of  150  men.  The 
guns,  six  in  number,  had  already  been  landed  on  the  island  at  a  point 
one  mile  in  a  straight  line  from  the  point  designated  for  the  battery. 

"  Our  task  was  to  drag  them  over  that  distance  to  their  destination. 
The  corduroy-road  for  some  reason  had  been  abandoned  after  being 
laid  a  few  hundred  yards.  We  reached  the  spot  where  the  guns  were 
placed  about  sundown.  Just  as  we  were  landing,  a  rebel  gun-boat 
came  up  the  river  from  the  fort,  stopped  opposite  us,  about  a  mile 
away,  and  seemed  to  be  curiously  scanning  our  doings.  Every  mo 
ment  we  expected  a  shell,  but  for  some  reason  they  left  us  unmolested, 
and  passed  on  to  the  city.  Had  they  seen  our  cannon,  which  were 
covered  with  reeds,  and  thus  screened  from  observation,  they  would 
not  have  left  us  so  undisturbed  to  the  tender  mercies  of  swamp-fever. 

"  About  dark,  Lieutenant  Wilson,  afterward  General  Wilson,  who 
captured  Jefferson  Davis,  then  a  young  officer  in  the  regular  army, 
landed,  and  explained  the  work  to  be  done.  Dividing  my  men  into 
small  reliefs  under  the  command  of  non-commissioned  officers,  we  at 


PORT  ROYAL  FERRY    TO   FORT  PULASKL  3$ 

once  began  the  hardest  task  I  ever  saw  performed  by  human  beings. 
Six  huge  guns  were  to  be  transported  over  a  mile  of  mud,  so  soft  and 
bottomless  that  we  sank  ankle  deep  at  every  step,  and  oftentimes  were 
in  danger  of  being  utterly  mired  in  the  treacherous  morass.  It  was 
done  in  thiswise  :  Planks  18  feet  long,  16  inches  wide,  and  very  thick, 
were  laid  down  and  gauged  like  a  railroad  track,  along  which  we  care 
fully  guided  the  wheels  of  the  cannon.  After  they  were  all  moved 
forward  the  planks  were  lifted  out  of  the  deep  mire,  carried  forward, 
and  laid  again.  Thus  we  proceeded  the  live-long  night,  and  by  nine 
o'clock  the  next  morning  every  gun  was  mounted  in  position.  I  saw 
men  that  night  standing  upright  in  the  mire  knee-deep,  fast  asleep. 
The  work  done,  I  threw  myself  on  a  plank  covered  with  the  softest  of 
Carolina  soil,  myself  a  pillar  of  mud,  my  head  softly  resting  on  mud, 
and  with  a  full  South  Carolina  sun  burning  in  my  face,  slept  as 
sweetly  as  a  babe  in  its  mother's  arms.  On  this  low,  marshy  island 
our  regiment  was  quartered,  two  companies  at  a  time,  until  the  fort 
was  taken.  The  purpose  was  to  cut  off  all  approach  to  the  fort  from 
Savannah  for  relief  or  assistance.  Our  duties  were  to  support  the 
battery  in  case  of  attack,  and  also  to  build  a  parapet  before  the  guns. 
This  was  no  easy  task,  as  the  men  were  compelled  to  stand  knee-deep 
in  the  mud  and  water  in  the  ditches,  and  what  they  threw  up  was  so 
near  the  consistency  of  molasses  that  it  refused  to  stay  until  the  sun 
had  dried  it,  when  it  took  the  hardness  of  stone.  General  Viele,  in 
his  report  of  this  work,  says  :  'These  islands,  as  well  as  all  others  in 
the  river,  are  merely  deposits  of  soft  mud  on  sand-shoals,  always 
covered  at  high  tide,  and  overgrown  with  dank  grasses.' 

"  In  speaking  of  the  mud-forts  built  there  he  also  says  :  '  Although 
the  material  of  which  they  are  composed  (mud  highly  saturated  with 
water)  is  of  the  most  unfavorable  description,  they  are  both  creditable 
specimens  of  field-works,  and  evidence  the  great  labor  and  persever 
ance  of  the  troops  under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  the  fatigue- 
parties  always  standing  in  water  twenty-four  hours.' 

"One  night  in  February  a  very  high  tide  rolled  in,  covering  the 
whole  island,  putting  out  our  fires,  and  leaving  us  wallowing  in  water 
from  one  to  three  feet  deep.  We  were  literally  at  sea.  Amid  such 
discomforts,  exposed  to  cutting  winds  and  malarial  odors,  we  fought 
with  destiny  until  the  middle  of  April. 

"  And  now  I  come  to  an  episode  that  is  a  type  of  many  a  curious 
plan  that  our  civil  war  brought  forth.  Probably  no  contest  ever  pro 
duced  so  many  novel  expedients  to  circumvent  an  enemy  as  were 
born  in  the  fertile  brains  of  our  inventive  Yankee  soldiers.  Powder 
gun-boats,  monitors,  and  mines  hurling  forts  in  the  air  are  samples  of 
these  extra-military  expedients  for  defeating  a  watchful  foe.  The 
3 


34  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

event  I  am  now  about  to  relate  is  not  a  whit  behind  the  chiefest  of 
them  in  hazard  and  reckless  audacity. 

"About  the  middle  of  March  two  deserters  from  the  rebel  lines 
came  into  our  brigade  and  reported  the  existence  of  a  steamer  at 
Savannah  clad  with  railroad  iron,  after  the  order  of  the  celebrated 
Merrtmac.  They  said  a  movement  was  on  foot  to  run  the  vessel 
down  with  a  body  of  troops,  capture  our  forts  on  the  banks  of  the 
Savannah,  and  thus  open  the  way  to  the  relief  of  Pulaski. 

"  Certain  reports  of  officers  making  reconnoissances  of  the  river 
seemed  to  corroborate  the  existence  of  such  a  vessel,  and  the  fears  of 
our  officers  were  aroused  for  our  safety  and  the  success  of  our  enter 
prises.  Schemes  for  defence  were  at  once  devised,  and  the  plan  I  now 
give  in  detail  was  adopted. 

"  It  was  supposed  that  the  vessel  lying  low  in  the  water,  with  slop 
ing  sides  of  iron  like  the  roof  of  a  house,  would  steam  down  the  river 
and  anchor  directly  between  our  batteries,  of  which  we  had  two,  one 
on  either  bank,  and  proceed  boldly  to  shell  us  at  close  range,  while  all 
our  shot  in  reply  would  fly  harmlessly  from  her  invulnerable  covering. 
In  the  mean  time  the  infantry  would  attack  us  in  the  rear,  cut  off  re 
treat,  and  take  us  all  prisoners  at  their  convenience.  The  line  of 
defence,  therefore,  must  include  the  capture  of  the  vessel  by  some 
expedient.  The  plan  devised  in  the  fertile  brain  of  somebody  was  to 
take  six  common  row-boats,  three  on  either  side  of  the  river,  man 
each  of  them  with  six  oarsmen,  six  soldiers,  and  an  officer.  The  sol 
diers  were  to  be  armed  with  revolvers,  hand-grenades,  cold-chisels, 
and  sledge-hammers.  The  boats  were  to  be  well  supplied  with  grap 
pling-irons  and  ropes.  Thus  equipped,  when  the  vessel  came,  the 
whole  expedition  was  to  row  out  from  either  shore,  board  the  vessel 
by  means  of  the  ropes  and  grappling-irons,  keep  the  gunners  from  the 
guns  by  the  free  use  of  hand-grenades  thrown  into  the  port-holes,  and 
cutting  through  the  iron  roof  by  means  of  the  cold-chisels  and  sledge 
hammers,  get  inside  the  vessel  and  capture  her,  crew  and  all.  Such,  in 
brief,  was  the  line  of  defence,  Suffice  it  to  say,  the  boats  were  selected, 
the  material  all  sent  down  to  the  batteries,  and  the  officer  in  command 
of  the  forts  directed  to  select  some  one  to  lead  the  forlorn  hope.  I 
was  called  to  the  command.  Selecting  two  lieutenants  as  assistants, 
we  picked  our  crews,  drilled  our  men,  and  awaited  the  final  hour. 

"  While  making  preparations,  Captain  Hamilton,  a  prominent  offi 
cer  in  the  Third  Artillery  of  the  regular  army,  came  down  to  inspect 
our  progress,  and  report  our  condition.  He  sent  for  me  to  visit  him 
in  the  Lieutenant-Colonel's  tent.  I  explained  our  preparations,  and 
asked  advice.  One  point  seemed  to  me  not  to  have  been  well  con 
sidered.  I  said  to  him,  'Captain,  that  vessel  has  steam  and  an 


PORT  ROYAL   FERRY    TO   FORT  PULASKI.  35 

engine,  and  it  seems  to  me  if  we  should  succeed  in  getting  a  force  on 
her  sloping  sides,  and  threatening  to  take  her,  they  would  slip  their 
cables,  steam  up  the  Savannah,  and  carry  us  off  to  jail  with  all  dis 
patch.'  'But  you  must  stop  her,'  said  he.  'Well,  how?'  was  my 
reply.  He  sat  a  moment  in  silent  meditation,  when  he  broke  out :  '  I 
do  not  know  any  better  way  than  to  take  strong  ropes,  fasten  them  to 
her  anchor  or  some  part  of  the  vessel,  and  then  attach  the  other  end 
to  the  screw,  so  that  when  the  wheel  starts  the  rope  will  wind  up  and 
stop  its  revolutions.'  '  Not  a  very  easy  thing  to  do,  it  strikes  me,'  said 
I,  '  in  such  a  rapid  current  as  this  river,  and  that  too  while  cannon 
are  thundering  in  our  very  faces.'  '  Well,'  said  he,  'it  is  a  desperate 
case,  and  we  must  hold  these  batteries  at  any  cost.  You  must  do  the 
best  you  can,  at  any  rate.' 

"Just  at  that  moment  a  thought  struck  me,  suggested  by  my 
knowledge  of  the  construction  of  a  steam-boiler  and  the  presence  of 
the  cold-chisels.  I  ventured  to  suggest  it  as  a  new  plan  of  offence. 
4  Captain,'  said  I,  '  why  could  we  not  board  the  vessel,  strike  at  once 
for  the  smoke-stack,  and  cutting  a  hole  in  it,  throw  down  a  bomb 
shell,  blow  up  these  tubes  that  run  through  the  boiler,  and  thus  let 
out  the  steam  and  scald  the  crew,  and  take  the  whole  institution  at  a 
blow.' 

"The  Captain  sprang  to  his  feet,  with  a  face  all  radiant  with  joy, 
and  with  many  big  words  which  I  do  not  desire  to  repeat,  declared 
that  the  thing  should  be  done,  and  consequently  a  huge  bomb-shell, 
with  fuse  all  ready,  was  placed  in  each  boat  as  a  part  of  our  arma 
ment.  And  while  we  waited  the  coming  of  our  foe  we  wrote  to  our 
friends  the  possibility  of  our  fate,  and  talked  together  of  a  grave  in 
the  muddy  flood  of  the  Savannah.  For  we  all  felt  assured  that 
nothing  less  than  an  interposition  of  Providence  could  save  us  from 
certain  destruction.  To  row  half  a  mile  in  the  face  of  such  a  foe,  in 
such  a  rapid  current,  in  crowded  boats,  and  board  a  vessel  under  such 
conditions,  was  an  enterprise  that  had  in  it  few  chances  of  success. 
Disaster  in  all  probability  would  have  been  the  end  of  such  an  expedi 
tion.  And  yet  in  the  face  of  these  convictions  we  entered  on  the  pro 
ject  with  all  the  ardor  of  assured  victory.  The  devoted  band  was 
denominated  'The  Cold-chisel  Brigade,'  and  when  the  enterprise  was 
finally  abandoned  the  cold-chisels  were  seized  as  souvenirs  of  a  project 
that  gained  at  the  time  quite  a  local  notoriety. 

"  Suffice  it  to  say  the  report  was  false.  No  such  vessel  then  ex 
isted  ;  and  when  General  Hunter  took  command  of  the  Department 
he  made  an  early  visit  to  the  batteries  to  see  what  the  '  Cold-chisel 
Brigade  '  was  proposing  to  do,  and  with  the  curt  remark,  '  What  fool 
got  up  that  plan  ?  '  he  ordered  it  disbanded." 


36  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.    Y.   S    VOLS. 

While  we  were  at  work  at  the  batteries  on  the  mud-islands. 
Captain  Gillmore  had  succeeded  in  erecting  on  Tybee  Island 
the  splendid  batteries  which  were  destined  to  demolish  Fort 
Pulaski.  The  work  on  Tybee  also  was  of  a  laborious  na 
ture,  it  requiring  250  men  to  move  a  single  cannon  with  a 
sling-cart  over  the  sand  and  mud  to  its  place.  However, 
on  the  Qth  of  April  Gillmore  had  n  batteries  erected, 
mounting  36  guns.  The  nearest  to  the  fort  were  Batteries 
Potter  and  McClellan,  which  were  only  1650  yards  distant. 
Each  battery  had  a  magazine  containing  two  days'  supply 
of  ammunition,  and  a  great  powder-magazine,  with  a  capa- 


GENERAL  DAVID  HUNTER. 

city  of  3000  barrels,  was  constructed  near  the  martello 
tower.  On  March  3 1st  General  T.  W.  Sherman  was  relieved 
in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South  by  Major- 
General  David  Hunter.  General  Hunter,  accompanied  by 
General  Benham,  the  district-commander,  arrived  on  Tybee 
Island  on  the  evening  of  April  8th.  At  sunrise  on  the  loth 
he  sent  a  summons  to  Colonel  Charles  H.  Olmstead,  the 
Confederate  commander  of  Fort  Pulaski,  to  surrender.  His 
refusal  was  in  this  memorable  phrase  :  "  I  am  here  to  defend 
this  fort,  not  to  surrender  it."  At  quarter-past  eight  o'clock 
Gilmore's  batteries  on  Tybee  opened  fire.  All  day  long  they 


PORT  ROYAL   FERRY    TO   FORT  PULASKI. 


37 


hurled  their  deadly  shot  and  shell  upon  the  doomed  fort 
ress  ;  all  night  long,  at  intervals  of  fifteen  and  twenty  min 
utes,  they  kept  up  their  fire.  At  sunrise  the  next  morning, 
with  redoubled  fury,  the  batteries  continued  their  work; 
not  until  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  did  the  fort  capitu 
late.  It  had  made  a  brave  defence,  for  the  Parrott  projec 
tiles,  some  of  which  had  cut  their  way  through  six  and  seven 
feet  of  brick  wall,  had  made  a  terrible  breach  on  the  angle 
of  the  fort  facing  Tybee  Island.  The  fight  was  nearly  blood- 


BREACH  IN  FORT  PULASKI. 

less  :  the  Confederates  lost  one  killed  and  several  wounded  ; 
the  Federals  only  one  killed.  Forty-seven  heavy  guns  were 
taken  with  the  fort,  40,0x30  pounds  of  gunpowder,  large 
quantities  of  fixed  ammunition  and  commissary  stores,  and 
300  prisoners.  Who  does  not  remember  watching  that  mag 
nificent  bombardment  from  the  bank  in  front  of  our  camp 
on  Dawfuskie  Island  ?  It  was  a  grand  spectacle,  which 
never  can  be  forgotten  by  any  one  who  witnessed  it.  It 
demonstrated  forever  that  brick  walls  could  no  longer  with 
stand  the  projectiles  of  modern  artillery.  It  lifted  the  name 


38  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

of  Captain  Gillmore  into  renown.  He  was  promoted  to  be 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers.  To  say  that  the  Confed 
erates  were  dumbfounded  at  their  defeat  is  to  speak  mildly. 
I  quote  from  the  historical  sketch  of  the  (rebel)  "  Chatham 
Artillery:"  "  Not  for  a  moment  was  it  believed  that  the 
walls  could  be  breached  or  the  fort  rendered  untenable  by 
any  fire  which  might  be  brought  to  bear  from  guns  located 
on  Tybee  Island.  This  opinion  was  freely  expressed  by 
General  Robert  E.  Lee,  and  by  other  officers,  whose  judg 
ment. and  experience  inspired  confidence.  Such  an  achieve 
ment  had  never  in  the  history  of  artillery  been  accomplished 
by  breaching  batteries.  Novel  results,  however,  were  soon 
to  be  attained  with  the  aid  of  rifle-guns  and  conical  shot 
and  percussion  shells,  for  the  anticipation  of  which  the  mili 
tary  mind  had  not  been  prepared  by  the  accepted  lessons 
of  former  days."  That  reflection  upon  their  defeat  was  at 
least  philosophical.  For  the  next  month  we  remained 
quietly  in  our  camp  on  Dawfuskie  Island,  resting  after  the 
severe  toils  on  the  mud-islands.  Many  of  the  men  were  ill 
with  malarial  fevers,  contracted  during  their  exposure  on  the 
marshes,  but  the  most  of  them  recovered  in  the  balmy  air 
of  the  spring-time. 

Not  a  few  will  remember  kindly  the  four  lady-nurses, 
whose  names  have  already  been  mentioned,  who  nursed  them 
in  the  hospital  on  Dawfuskie,  and  whose  connection  with 
our  regiment  ceased  from  that  time.  Rattlesnakes  abounded 
on  the  island.  Some  of  the  boys — notably  Bugler  Anthony 
Schellings — found  pleasure  in  hunting  for  them  ;  the  writer 
did  not.  It  was  here  that  Hospital  Steward  Fisher  had  his 
adventure  with  the  goat.  The  goat  had  become  a  regi 
mental  pet,  and  was  facetiously  called  a  member  of  the 
Colonel's  "  staff,"  as  he  always  presented  himself  on  dress- 
parade,  and  took  his  position  near  the  Colonel.  One  day 
Mr.  Fisher  held  a  $10  greenback  in  his  hand  and  shook  it 
towards  the  goat,  saying,  "  Wouldn't  you  like  to  have  that, 
Billy?"  The  goat  opened  his  mouth,  made  one  jump,  and 
caught  the  greenback  before  Fisher  could  rescue  it,  and 


PORT  ROYAL  FERRY   TO  FORT  PULASKL  39 

instantly  swallowed  it.  The  Hospital  Steward  tried  to  per 
suade  the  Colonel  to  permit  him  to  rip  the  goat  open  ;  but 
that  was  not  to  be  the  fate  of  Billy :  he  was  destined,  years 
afterward,  to  make  a  tough  meal  for  the  regiment  known  as 
the  "  Lost  Children,"  who  are  believed  to  have  stolen  and 
eaten  him.  Our  mails  came  regularly  to  the  camp  on  Daw- 
fuskie,  and  the  papers  from  the  North  were  eagerly  read, 
and  many  an  argument  ensued  concerning  the  merits  and 
dements  of  the  battles  which  our  comrades  in  the  Northern 
and  Western  armies  were  fighting.  The  officers  in  their 
tents  told  each  other  how  they  would  have  conducted  the 
Campaigns;  and  the  privates  round  their  camp-fires  eagerly 
read  the  news,  and  often  wished  that  they  were  participants 
in  the  battles.  The  writer  remembers  when  the  papers 
arrived  which  described  the  first  day's  fight  at  Pittsburg 
Landing.  General  Grant  was  greatly  blamed  for  permitting 
himself  to  be  surprised  (as  it  was  supposed)  by  a  superior 
force,  with  the  river  in  his  rear  and  Buell's  army  a  long  dis 
tance  from  him.  Not  until  the  next  mail  arrived  did  we 
learn  of  the  great  victory  that  he  really  had  won,  and  a 
remark  6f  Colonel  Perry's,  as  he  laid  down  the  paper,  is  re 
called.  He  said,  "  If  I  were  the  Secretary  of  War  I  would 
dismiss  that  man  Grant  for  such  incompetency."  Little  did 
he  then  know  what  a  catastrophe  to  the  Republic  it  would 
have  been  if  his  hasty  judgment  had  been  carried  out.  We 
received  our  pay  every  two  months  in  those  days — at  first 
in  gold,  but  soon  and  always  afterwards  in  greenbacks.  The 
sutler's  tent  was  convenient,  and  he  got  the  most  of  our 
money.  It  recalls  an  effusion  of  a  South  Carolina  darkey : 

"  Big  bee  sucks  de  blossom, 

Little  bee  makes  de  honey ; 
Colored  people  grows  de  cotton, 
White  people  gets  de  money." 

By  substituting  "private  soldiers"  for  "colored  people" 
and  the  "  sutler"  for  "  white  people,"  that  doggerel  will  ap 
ply  very  well  to  our  experience  in  those  days.  Early  in  the 


40  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

month  of  May  most  of  the  troops  who  had  been  with  us 
on  Dawfuskie  Island  were  withdrawn.  The  Sixth  Connec 
ticut  and  Twenty-eighth  Massachusetts,  which  had  encamped 
near  us,  left.  Finally,  on  the  23d  of  May,  we  received 
orders  to  proceed  to  Fort  Pulaski,  to  do  garrison  duty  there. 
Our  officers  felt  greatly  indignant  at  that  order.  It  was  like 
putting  them  in  prison  to  shut  them  up  within  the  walls  of 
the  fort.  There  was,  however,  no  alternative  but  for  us  to 
go.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  authorities  at  Washington  did 
not  seem  to  require  much  to  be  done  in  our  Department,  but 
were  satisfied  that  we  should  hold  the  sea-islands  and  occa 
sionally  worry  the  enemy  in  a  little  skirmish  ;  and  perhaps 
it  was  as  well  for  us  to  be  in  Fort  Pulaski  as  to  be  anywhere 
else.  On  May  25th  we  left  Dawfuskie  on  the  steamer 
Mattano  for  the  fort,  leaving  behind,  however,  companies  E 
and  B,  under  Captain  Coan,  for  picket-duty  on  the  island. 
They  rejoined  us  the  last  day  of  the  month.  We  relieved 
the  Seventh  Connecticut,  then  commanded  by  Colonel  A. 
H.  Terry  (the  Lieutenant-Colonel  was  Joseph  R.  Hawley), 
in  the  garrison  of  Fort  Pulaski.  Then  began  our  long 
period  of  inactivity,  for  we  were  destined  to  remain,  as  that 
garrison,  a  year. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
Fort  Pulaski— June  i,  1862,  to  May  31,  1863. 

The  Fort— In  Garrison — Fatigue  Duty — Quarters  in  the  Casemates— The 
Fort  Revisited  in  1884 — Drill — Wreck  of  the  Sutler's  Schooner — Death 
of  Colonel  Perry — Colonel  Barton  Succeeds  to  the  Command — Captain 
Knowles  Resigns — Expedition  to  Bluffton — General  Mitchel  Succeeds 
General  Hunter — Visit  and  Address  from  General  Mitchel — His  Death 
— Chaplain  Strickland — Pocotaligo  and  Coosavvhatchie — Coosawhatchie 
Revisited — Report  of  Colonel  Barton — Sports  at  Fort  Pulaski — The 
Theatre — The  "  Barton  Dramatic  Association"—"  Talking  in  the  Ranks" 
— Order  of  Major  Beard — Thanksgiving  Day,  1862 — Lieutenant-Colonel 
Beard  Resigns — Chaplain  Strickland  Resigns — Flags  of  Truce — Colored 
Regiments — Lieutenant  Corvvin  Promoted — Capture  of  Steamer  General 
Lee — Tybee — A  Mammoth  Sea-Turtle — The  Blockade-runner  Sadowa — 
Life  in  the  Fort — the  Ladies — The  Musicians. 

I7ORT  PULASKI  is  situated  on  Cockspur  Island,  a 
marshy  island  about  a  mile  in  length  and  half  a  mile 
wide,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  River  and  at  the  head 
of  Tybee  Roads.  It  was  a  brick  work  of  five  faces,  includ 
ing  the  gorge,  casemated  on  all  sides  with  walls  fy  feet  thick 
and  rising  25  feet  above  high-water.  It  mounted  one  tier  of 
guns  in  embrasure  and  one  en  barbette.  The  gorge  was 
covered  by -an  earthenwork  "  demilune"  of  bold  relief ;  both 
the  main  work  and  the  demilune  were  surrounded  and 
divided  by  a  moat,  48  feet  in  width  around  the  main  work, 
32  around  the  demilune.  Two  drawbridges  over  the  moats 
and  a  low  sally-port  formed  the  communication  with  the  ex 
terior.  A  full  armament  for  the  work  was  140  guns.* 
When  we  entered  it  June  I,  1862,  everything  was  in  great 
confusion  :  the  breach  made  by  Gillmore's  guns  yawned  in 
its  side,  and  the  masonry  was  everywhere  broken.  For  many 

*  See  General  Gillmore's  Report. 


42  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

a  weary  week  the  daily  details  for  fatigue-duty  worked  away 
at  repairing  the  fort.  The  brick  walls  rose  again  at  the 
breach,  the  terre-plein  was  levelled  to  make  a  drill-ground ; 
the  companies  were  quartered  in  the  casemates,  the  men 
erecting  bunks  for  themselves  by  the  side  of  the  cannon. 
The  rebuilding  of  the  fort  was  a  long  and  tedious  task, 
onerous  and  distasteful  to  soldiers ;  nevertheless  it  was  at 
last  completed,  and  Fort  Pulaski  was  put  in  better  shape 
than  it  had  been  for  years.  The  guns  were  remounted,  both 
in  casemates  and  on  the  parapet ;  one  company  of  the  Third 
Rhode  Island  Artillery  under  Captain  Gould,  a  detachment 
of  Serrell's  Engineers,  and  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  com- 


FORT  PULASKI. 

prised  the  entire  garrison.  Our  men  were  drilled  at  the 
guns,  and  became  at  last  efficient  as  artillerists  as  well  as  in 
the  drill  of  infantry.  The  officers'  casemates  of  course  were 
better  than  those  of  the  enlisted  men,  but  even  there  there 
was  a  great  scarcity  of  furniture.  A  steam-condenser  was 
procured,  and  the  water  for  the  garrison  was  condensed  from 
the  moat.  The  old  boilers  are  there  still  (1884),  rusted  and 
useless,  and  the  great  moats  are  filled  with  mud  and  grown 
up  with  rushes.  A  signal  station  was  erected  on  the  para 
pet,  and  we  were  in  communication  by  signal  with  Brad- 
dock's  Point ;  later  a  submarine  telegraph-cable  was  laid  to 
the  fort.  Two  or  three  times  a  week  a  little  steamer  made 
the  trip  to  Hilton  Head,  bringing  mails  and  stores  with 
regularity.  No  sutler  was  allowed  in  the  fort,  and  many  of 
the  boys  turned  tradesmen.  Who  will  not  recall  Jackson  as 


FORT  PULASKI.  43 

he  used  to  pass  through  the  casemates  calling  out  "  Borden's 
condensed  milk"  ?  The  regiment  was  drilled  to  the  greatest 
efficiency.  Guns  were  polished  in  those  days,  and  scales 
must  shine  and  gloves  be  worn  on  parade;  and  the  writer 
does  not  remember  to  have  seen  even  a  crack  regiment  of 
militia  or  any  other  body  of  soldiers  whose  evolutions  sur 
passed  those  of  the  Forty-eighth  when  at  drill  in  Fort  Pu- 
laski.  But  our  quarters  on  the  island  were  circumscribed. 
The  horses  of  the  field-officers  were  of  little  use ;  occasionally 
they  were  exercised  from  the  north  to  the  south  dock  and 
around  the  little  dikes  on  the  island.  We  were  a  thou 
sand  men,  living  in  narrow  quarters.  Under  that  confine 
ment  Colonel  Perry  pined  ;  more  and  more  he  ceased  to 
take  exercise,  and  sometimes  for  days  would  not  even  ap 
pear  upon  parade. 

On  the  i6th  and  i/th  of  June  a  terrible  storm  broke  on 
the  coast.  In  the  height  of  it  a  sutler's  schooner  came 
ashore  on  Cockspur  Island.  She  was  laden  with  stores,  and 
with  many  cases  of  liquors  and  barrels  of  wine  and  beer.  The 
crew  was  rescued  with  difficulty  by  some  of  our  boys  ;  but 
when  the  liquor  came  ashore  at  the  breaking-up  of  the 
wreck  the  opportunity  for  a  great  spree  was  more  than  the 
men  could  withstand,  and  many  of  "  Perry's  Saints"  "  fell 
from  grace."  Colonel  Perry  was  greatly  mortified  at  their 
behavior,  and  who  will  not  recall  the  way  in  which  he 
walked  through  our  quarters  in  the  casemates  that  day? 
He  was  held  in  such  respect  that  there  was  no  private  sol 
dier,  however  intoxicated,  who  was  able  to  recognize  him,  who 
did  not  rise  up  to  salute  him,  and  all  disorder  ceased  every 
where  around  the  casemates  at  his  approach.  Two  days 
afterward,  early  in  the  afternoon  of  June  18,  1862,  while  in 
his  quarters,  he  was  stricken  with  apoplexy,  and,  without 
speaking  a  word,  died.  A  great  sadness  fell  upon  the 
regiment,  who  mourned  him  as  if  he  had  been  their  father. 
He  had  taken  great  care  of"  his  boys,"  and  they  had  formed 
a  great  love  for  him.  Often  in  the  early  morning  he  was 
found  going  around  among  the  cooks,  tasting  the  coffee, 


MONUMENT  TO  COLONEL  PERRY 


FORT  PULASKI.  45, 

and  ascertaining  for  himself  the  quality  of  the  rations  that 
were  to  be  distributed  to  the  men.  His  death  was  a  calam 
ity  to  his  regiment  as  it  was  an  affliction  to  his  friends  and  a 
loss  to  his  country.  High  hopes  had  been  entertained  of 
him  ;  he  possessed  such  fine  qualities  of  mind,  that  many  who 
were  partial  to  him  anticipated  a  great  career  for  him  in  the 
army.  His  majestic  bearing,  his  noble  face,  who  can  ever 
forget  ?  But  he  never  had  "  a  fair  field  "  in  the  war.  It 
was  his  misfortune,  1st,  to  lack  that  political  acquaintance 
and  influence  which  was  necessary  to  gain  position  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  rebellion  ;  2d,  to  be  assigned  to  a  depart 
ment  where  nothing  of  moment  was  done  ;  and,  3d,  to  have 
engendered  the  envy  of  his  immediate  military  superiors. 
He  was  a  man  of  nobler  bearing  and  finer  attainments  than 
any  of  them.  His  clerical  profession  also  was  against  him 
for  it  was  reckoned,  however  untruthfully,  that  "  parsons" 
were  not  the  men  to  fight.  We  buried  him  outside  the  fort, 
the  regiment  firing  a  salute  above  his  grave.  But  his  re 
mains  were  afterwards  removed  to  Cypress  Hills  Cemetery, 
Brooklyn,  L.  I.,  where  a  noble  monument  of  granite  has 
now  been  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  comrades  of  the 
James  H.  Perry  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  the  survivors  of  his  regi 
ment,  and  a  generous  donation  from  the  Hanson  Place 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Brooklyn.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  William  B.  Barton  succeeded  to  the  Colonelcy ; 
Major  Beard  was  promoted  to  be  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
Captain  James  M.  Green,  of  Company  F  to  Major.  Captain 
Knowles  of  Company  D,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the 
account  of  the  work  on  Jones'  Island,  broken  in  health  by 
exposure,  resigned  his  commission  in  July,  Lieutenant  Pax- 
son  became  Captain  of  the  "  Die-no-mores/'  On  August 
29th  Captain  Travis  of  Company  C  resigned.  Other 
changes  occurred  among  the  officers  of  the  regiment  at  this 
time,  which  can  be  ascertained  by  referring  to  the  rolls  of 
the  companies  in  this  volume.  So  the  long  hot  summer 
passed ;  yet  it  was  often  cool  in  the  casemates,  especially  at 
night.  But  the  mosquitoes  and  sand-flies  were  the  greatest 


46  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

nuisance.  Life  in  the  garrison  was  a  monotonous  routine, 
the  events  of  one  day  being  repeated  the  next  day  and 
every  day,  and  the  diaries  which  we  have  examined  contain 
little  of  interest  except  in  what  was  personal  to  the  writers. 
We  made  two  expeditions  that  summer  and  fall  to  Bluff- 
ton,  "  on  the  main,"  a  summer  resort  of  the  planters,  from 
the  sea-coast  islands,  destroying  the  salt-works  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  "  confiscating"  a  piano  and  such  furni 
ture  as  could  be  brought  away  for  the  officers'  quarters  in 
the  fort.  The  second  expedition  burned  about  two  thirds 
of  the  town  by  command  of  General  Hunter,  in  retalia- 


HEADQUARTERS  OF  GENERALS  HUNTER  AND  MITCHEL. 

tion  for  certain  unwarlike  depredations  by  the  enemy.  The 
spoliation  of  Bluffton  formed  the  ground  of  an  indignant 
protest  by  General  Beauregard  to  General  Gillmore  a  year 
later,  and  certain  of  us  lived  to  be  threatened  with  punish 
ment  for  that  deed,  when  we  were  in  Beauregard's  power  as 
prisoners  of  war.* 

On  October  18,  1862,  on  returning  from  an  expedition  up 
May  River,  we  lost  four  wounded  from  the  enemy's  firing 
into  us,  and  one  of  the  wounded  men,  Corporal  George 
Durand  of  Company  B,  died  the  following  day.  He  was 
the  first  man  of  the  regiment  to  fall  at  the  hands  of  the 

*See  "  Military  Operations  of  General  Beauregard,"  vol.  ii.  p.  483. 


FORT  PULASKI.  47 

•enemy.  On  September  16,  1862,  Major-General  O.  M. 
Mitchel  arrived  at  Hilton  Head,  and  assumed  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  South,  relieving  Major-General  David 
Hunter.  General  Mitchel  had  been  famed  in  civil  life  as  an 
astronomer,  and  in  military  life  in  the  West  for  "  doing 
things."  We  now  anticipated  more  active  service  under 
his  command.  He  visited  us  at  Fort  Pulaski,  and  highly 
complimented  our  drill.  He  made  us  a  brief  address  on  the 
terre-plein,  a  report  of  which  (found  in  The  New  South  of 
September  20,  1862)  is  appended  : 

"SOLDIERS  OF  THE  FORTY-EIGHTH  .  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to 
meet  you  here  inside  of  this  fortress  :  a  fortress  recovered  by  your  own 
prowess  from  the  enemy;  a  fortress  you  now  hold;  a  fortress  planned 
by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  and  built  by  it,  but  which  had 
been  seized  by  the  rebels.  Those  rebels  you  have  dispossessed  ;  those 
rebels  you  have  compelled  to  lower  their  flag  before  you,  and  those 
rebels  you  have  been  instrumental  in  defeating  and  capturing.  I  need 
not  say  to  you — understanding  the  nature  of  this  war  and  all  its  ob 
jects — what  you  are  expected  to  do.  You  are  too  intelligent ;  you 
think  too  much  ;  you  are  volunteers,  and  as  volunteers  you  understand 
your  duty  and  the  responsibilities  devolved  upon  you.  I  am  here  a 
stranger  to  you  ;  but  I  trust  not  entirely  a  stranger  in  name,  although 
this  probably  is  the  first  time  you  have  had  the  opportunity  of  looking 
upon  my  face  and  form.  I  am  here  to  say  that  we  have  an  immense 
work  to  perform.  I  am  just  from  the  North,  where,  having  conversed 
and  associated  with  the  thinking  men  of  the  country,  I  am  satisfied 
that  the  work  before  us  is  the  most  stupendous,  the  most  arduous, 
that  has  ever  been  attempted  ;  and  it  is  a  work  in  which  we  never  can 
be  successful  unless  we  enter  upon  it  with  a  firm  determination  never 
to  succumb.  I  believe  that  we  are  fighting  the  battle  of  Human  Lib 
erty,  not  for  this  country  alone,  but  for  the  whole  world.  I  believe 
that  the  despotisms  of  the  Old  World  would  say,  if  this  Great  Repub 
lic  were  rent  in  twain,  that  it  was  an  absolute  fallacy  to  believe  that 
man  can  govern  himself,  and  that  the  interests  of  the  governing  class 
and  of  the  people  were  so  radically  diverse  as  to  render  all  attempts 
at  Republican  government  failures.  If  we  permit  the  iron  heel  of  the 
Southern  aristocracy  to  crush  us,  I  undertake  to  say  before  you  all, 
that  the  last  hope  of  Humanity  v/ill  die  out  forever.  All  lovers  of 
humanity  are  looking  upon  us  with  anxiety.  Responsibilities  are  de 
volving  upon  us,  greater  than  have  ever  before  devolved  upon  any 
people  on  the  earth.  The  responsibilities  of  the  French  Revolution 


48  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.    Y.   S.   VOLS. 

were  nothing  compared  to  those  under  which  we  labor.  That  was  a 
contest  against  oppression,  an  uprising  of  the  people  against  tyranny. 
But  this  is  a  contest  for  human  freedom — a  contest  for  the  absolute 
supremacy  of  the  people  ;  it  is  a  contest  in  which  is  arrayed  absolute 
liberty  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  the  most  hateful  and  abom 
inable  aristocracy.  And  now  the  grand  question  is  this :  Are  we  to 
meet  with  success  or  not  ?  We  cannot  meet  with  success  unless  the 
soldier  enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  officers,  and  the  officers  that  of 
the  soldier.  Now,  I  am  an  old  soldier — so  old,  that  thirty  years  ago 
I  was  stationed  in  the  regular  army  at  St.  Augustine  ;  and  though  at 
that  time  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  reaching  the  official  rank  I 


GENERAL  MITCHEL. 

now  hold,  yet  I  am  now  the  commanding  officer  of  this  Department 
I  have  been  in  the  field,  and  I  understand  it  perfectly.  I  have  fought 
the  enemy  through  four  hundred  miles  of  territory,  and  never  knew 
what  it  was  to  be  checked  or  turned  back.  [Loud  cheers  and  cries  of 
'Good,'  'That's  the  talk,'  etc.]  I  will  tell  you  of  another  trait  of 
my  character.  I  am  very  restless.  I  don't  know  how  to  be  still.  If 
you  were  to  confine  me  within  a  fortress,  or  upon  one  of  these  islands, 
I  should  feel  as  though  I  were  in  a  penitentiary.  I  don't  know  what 
the  object  of  the  Government  was  in  sending  me  here;  but  it  is  the 
duty  of  a  good  soldier  to  obey  orders,  without  waiting  for  words  of 
explanation,  and  as  a  good  soldier  I  obeyed.  I  was  told  that  I  would 
receive  instructions  here — instructions  which  had  been  given  my  pre 
decessor — and  would  answer  for  my  guidance.  I  find  that  those  in 
structions  permit  me  to  do  pretty  much  as  I  please ;  and  I  shall  en- 


FORT  PULASKI.  49 

deavor  to  do  the  best  I  can.  I  assure  you  of  this  :  that  I  will  omit  no 
opportunity  of  giving  you  active  employment.  You  shall  have  no 
time  for  sighing  and  lamenting  over  your  inactivity  if  we  can  find  any 
thing  to  do.  Be  assured  that  if  I  can  use  you,  no  opportunity  will 
escape  for  active  duty  if  you  are  ready  for  the  field.  [Prolonged  ap 
plause,  with  cries  of  *  We're  ready,'  etc.] 

"  Now  a  perfect  confidence  between  the  officers  and  their  command 
ing-officer — between  the  soldiers  and  their  commanding-general — is- 
necessary  for  success.  I  am  delighted  with  the  appearance  of  this 
regiment.  I  don't  want  any  better-looking  regiment.  You  all  look 
like  good  soldiers — and  a  good  soldier  I  love.  I  could  get  off  my 
horse  and  take  him  to  my  arms.  But  a  mean  soldier  I  contemn 
and  despise.  Now,  a  good  soldier  knows  his  duty,  and  loves  his 
duty,  and  performs  his  duty  because  it  is  his  duty.  He  obeys  an 
order  because  it  is  given  him.  He  treats  his  military  superior 
with  deference  because  it  is  his  duty.  He  knows  that  as  a  good 
soldier  he  must  show  that  military  deference  to  every  officer.  If  this 
military  deference  can  be  mingled  with  personal  respect  for  your 
superiors,  so  much  the  better;  but  the  two  are  not  to  be  confounded, 
nor  is  one  to  be  mistaken  for  the  other.  A  good  soldier,  when  he  lies 
down  at  night,  conscious  of  having  performed  his  duty  perfectly,  don't 
care  whether  he  gets  up  alive  or  dead.  [Cachinnations  along  the  line.] 
I  want  you  to  understand  that  you  have  made  a  free-will  offering  of 
yourselves  to  your  country  and  to  the  great  cause  of  human  liberty. 
Your  lives  are  not  your  own.  My  life  is  not- my  own.  A  good  soldier 
should  be  ever  striving  to  better  himself.  A  private  should  struggle 
for  a  place  among  the  non-commissioned  officers.  Having  attained 
this,  he  should  never  be  satisfied  till  he  is  a  lieutenant;  and  a  lieu 
tenant  is  good  for  nothing  unless  he  strives  to  be  a  captain.  Once 
made  a  captain,  he  should  aim  to  command  a  regiment,  and  by  faith 
ful,  earnest  service  to  fit  himself  for  the  position  of  a  brigadier.  Then 
let  him  press  steadily  forward,  until  the  whole  country  shall  take  him 
up,  and  say,  '  Make  that  man  a  major-general,  and  give  him  an  army 
corps.'  But  let  him  stop  there.  We  don't  need  a  commander-in-chief. 

"  We  want  many  armies.  A  grand,  magnificent  army  is  a  glorious 
sight — the  most  glorious  that  the  sun  ever  shone  upon.  Anybody  can 
become  a  drilled  soldier,  and  every  officer  can  make  drilled  soldiers  ; 
but  then  the  next  thing  is  to  inspire  them  with  a  proper  determination 
to  die,  if  need  be,  in  the  performance  of  their  duty.  When  this  is 
done,  an  army  corps  is  a  soldier  himself,  instinct  with  life,  and  vigor, 
and  determination.  Then  the  commanding  officer  must  have  the 
wisdom,  the  discretion,  and  the  force  to  compel  victory  to  perch  upon 
his  banner.  Your  fortunes  are  to  a  certain  extent  in  my  keeping. 
4 


50  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.   S.  VOLS. 

Rest  assured  that  day  and  night  I  shall  think  of  you  ;  day  and  night  I 
:shall  care  for  you,  and  your  interests  shall  be  in  my  thoughts.  Rest 
assured  that  I  shall  endeavor  to  see  that  you  get  from  the  Government 
-all  that  it  has  promised  you,  punctually  and  systematically.  In  return, 
I  shall  expect  from  you  the  most  complete  and  perfect  service,  the 
most  absolute  devotion.  When  I  order  you  to  move,  I  shall  expect 
you  to  go  forward  with  spirit  and  alacrity.  When  I  ask  you  to  attack 
yonder  battery,  I  shall  expect  you  to  march  over  it,  and  to  plant  your 
bayonets  beyond  it,  halting  when  the  word  is  given — not  before.  Now, 
boys,  we  understand  each  other." 

The  report  adds  that — 

"  The  General  concluded  his  address  amid  the  most  enthusiastic 
cheers,  after  which  the  regiment  was  dismissed.  Subsequently  the 
casemates  were  visited,  and  an  inspection  was  made  of  the  quarters 
and  of  the  well-ordered  hospital  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Mulford, 
With  all  that  he  saw  the  General  expressed  his  gratification,  and  in 
private  conversation  complimented  the  Forty-eighth  even  more  warm 
ly  than  in  his  public  speech.  A  dinner  at  the  quarters  of  Colonel 
Barton,  attended  by  sweet  music  from  the  regimental  band,  and  a 
personal  introduction  to  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  were  the  final 
features  of  the  visit  of  General  Mitchel  to  Pulaski." 

Our  new  commander  at  once  planned  an  advance,  having 
as  its  final  object  the  capture  of  Charleston,  but  initiated 
by  an  expedition  to  destroy  the  Charleston  and  Savannah 
Railroad  in  the  vicinity  of  Pocotaligo  and  Coosawhatchie. 
Before  the  expedition  was  ready  to  start,  however,  General 
Mitchel  was  taken  down  with  yellow-fever.  He  was  re 
moved  from  Hilton  Head  to  the  more  healthful  locality  of 
Beaufort ;  and  there,  in  the  parlors  of  a  fine  mansion  in  that 
deserted  town,  on  the  3<Dth  of  October,  he  died.  While  he 
was  ill  a  request  came  to  Fort  Pulaski  that  Chaplain  Strick 
land  of  the  Forty-eighth  should  visit  him.  To  visit  a  man 
sick  with  yellow-fever  was  not  a  coveted  duty  in  those  days, 
and  a  consultation  was  held  in  the  fort  as  to  whether  the 
chaplain  ought  to  go.  The  noble  man  cut  it  short  by  say 
ing,  "  If  I  knew  I  would  get  my  death,  I  would  go  ;"  and 
he  did  go,  and  took  with  him  to  the  bedside  of  the  dying 


.    t  FORT  PULASKI.  51 

soldier  such  comforts  as  a  faithful  Christian  minister  can 
render.  Happily  he  escaped  the  disease  ;  perhaps  God  cares 
for  His  workmen  when  they  are  at  His  work.  Chaplain 
Strickland  was  not  destined  to  die  till  twenty-two  years 
afterward, — in  July,  1884, — at  Ocean  Grove,  N.  J.,  when  it 
was  the  writer's  privilege  to  speak  at  his  funeral. 

General  Brannan,  who  was  next  in  command  to  General 
MitcheJ,  perfected  the  arrangements  for  the  expedition 
during  the  commanding-general's  sickness.  He  gathered 
an  effective  force  of  between  four  and  five  thousand  men, 
on  transports,  and,  accompanied  by  gunboats,  moved  up 


THE  PLANTER. 

the  Broad  River  and  Bee's  Creek,  and,  landing  his  forces  at 
Mackey's  Point,  pushed  on  some  miles  in  the  direction  of 
Pocotaligo.  A  detachment  of  three  hundred  men  of  the 
Forty-eighth  Regiment  and  fifty  of  the  Third  Rhode  Island 
Artillery  had  embarked  at  Fort  Pulaski  on  the  steamer 
Planter,  on  the  2ist,  under  Colonel  Barton,  and  accompanied 
the  expedition.  We  did  not  land,  however,  with  the  main 
body  of  troops  at  Mackey's  Point,  but  proceeded  farther  up 
the  river  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  the  railroad  some  miles 
south  of  Pocotaligo,  and  hindering  the  arrival  of  reinforce 
ments  from  Savannah. 

»•  We  were  accompanied  up  the  Coosawhatchie  River  by 
the  gunboats  Patroon  and  Uncas  [or  Marble/lead^,  until 


52  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y,   S.   VOLS. 

they  got  aground,  and  then  we  went  on  alone.  The  Planter 
(the  famous  boat  which  had  been  run  out  of  Charleston 
Harbor  by  its  colored  pilot,  Robert  Small)  carried  an  arma 
ment  of  four  guns,  and  they  would  be  some  protection. 
We  also  got  aground  at  Dawson's  Plantation,  and  Colonel 
Barton  ordered  us  ashore  and  marched  us  straight  towards 
the  railroad.  We  advanced  up  the  narrow  road  through  a 
dense  forest  for  some  two  miles  toward  the  village  of 
Coosawhatchie.  Just  as  we  reached  an  open  space  near 
the  village  we  heard  the  whistle  of  an  engine.  The  men 
were  quickly  deployed  along  the  bank  of  the  railroad- 
Company  H,  who  were  in  advance  as  skirmishers,  on  the 
left — and  were  hidden  by  the  underbrush.  The  train  came 
thundering  by, — a  long  train,  mostly  of  platform-cars,— 
heavily  loaded  with  Confederate  soldiers  on  their  way  to  rein 
force  General  W.  S.  Walker  at  Pocotaligo.  We  were  certainly 
not  more  than  ten  yards  from  the  track  when  the  train 
came  by.  At  a  given  order  we  rose  and  fired.  Some  of  the 
boys  had  brought  along  a  little  howitzer,  which  they  aimed 
at  the  boiler  of  the  engine.  It  was  a  terrible  and  unex 
pected  volley  which  we  fired  into  them.  Their  commander, 
Major  Harrison,  was  killed,  and  some  seventy  of  them  were 
killed  and  wounded.  The  rest  jumped  from  the  platform- 
cars  to  the  ground  on  the  other  side  of  the  track  with  the 
greatest  agility.  We  captured  some  prisoners,  and  one  of 
their  flags  and  some  small-arms.  The  flag  belonged  to  the 
"  Whippy  Swamp  Guards." 

The  writer  has  always  felt  that  our  firing  into  that  train 
was  a  cruel  ambuscade.  But  such  are  the  practices  of  war. 
The  conductor  of  the  train  on  that  railroad  (by  which  we 
visited  Coosawhatchie  again  in  the  spring  of  '84)  told  us 
that  that  engine,  bearing  still  the  bullet-marks  of  that  day, 
was  yet  in  use  upon  the  road.  Coosawhatchie  is  now  a 
quiet,  sleepy  little  village,  and  there  is  nothing  but  the  ruins 
of  a  fortification  at  the  railroad  crossing  to  indicate  that 
that  was  in  any  sense  an  historic  spot. 

We  were  followed  back  to  our  boat,  to  which  we  retreated 


FORT  PULASKI.  53 

through  the  woods,  by  a  few  cavalry,  Their  parting  volley 
severely  wounded  Lieutenant  Blanding  of  the  Third  Rhode 
Island  Artillery,  who  had  accompanied  us.  Our  forces  at 
Pocotaligo  were  repulsed  with  great  loss.  We  had  succeed 
ed,  however,  in  destroying  the  railroad  and  the  telegraph 
lines,  and  the  three  hundred  men  of  the  Forty-eighth  under 
Colonel  Barton  had  won  the  only  success  of  our  arms  on 
that  day,  and  had  possibly  saved  the  forces  of  General 
Brannan  from  destruction.  Chaplain  Strickland  was  greatly 
indignant  at  the  order  to  retreat.  He  insisted  that  we 
should  have  marched  straight  on  upon  the  "  Confederacy," 
his  zeal  being  greater  than  his  discretion.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  only  a  quick  retreat  to  our  boat,  before  the  enemy 
could  rally  from  their  discomfiture,  and  come  in  behind 
us  on  a  cross-road,  saved  us  all  from  being  captured.  We 
returned  to  Fort  Piilaski  feeling  that  we  had  won  a  very 
"little"  victory.  I  append  entire  Colonel  Barton's  report  of 
the  affair: 

"  HEADQUARTERS  U.  S.  FORCES,  ON  THE  SAVANNAH  RIVER,      ) 
FORT  PULASKI,  GA.,  October  23,  1862.  [ 

"CAPTAIN:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  my  share  in  the  recent 
operations  against  the  Charleston  and  Savannah  Railroad.  In  accord 
ance  with  orders  from  General  Mitchel,  received  on  the  evening  of  the 
2oth  inst.,  I  left  this  Post  at  eight  o'clock  A.M.  on  the  2ist  inst.,  with 
three  hundred  men  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York  Volunteers  and 
fifty  men  of  Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery  (the  latter  under  command 
of  Captain  John  H.  Gould),  with  three  days'  cooked  and  seven  days 
uncooked  rations,  on  board  the  armed  transport  Planter. 

"  On  arriving  at  Hilton  Head  I  received  instructions  as  to  my  num 
ber  in  the  line  of  the  fleet,  and  also  directions  to  report  to  Brigadier- 
General  Brannan, who  commanded  the  expedition  on  reaching  Mackey's 
Point,  for  further  orders.  Soon  after  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the 
22d,  I  reported  to  General  Brannan  on  board  the  Ben  Deford,  and  was 
directed  by  him  to  proceed  with  my  command  up  the  Coosawhatchie 
River — as  near  to  the  town  of  that  name  as  I  might  deem  practicable  ; 
and  disembarking  under  cover  of  the  gun-boats,  which  were  to  accom 
pany  me,  to  move  toward  the  town  and,  if  possible,  reach  the  Charles 
ton  and  Savannah  Railroad,  and  destroy  it  at  that  point,  and  the 
bridge  on  it  over  the  Coosawhatchie  River. 


54  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

"  I  was  fully  instructed,  however,  not  to  hazard  too  much  in  order 
to  accomplish  the  above  ;  but,  if  opposed  by  a  force  at  all  superior,  to 
fall  back  under  cover  of  the  fleet.  There  was  some  delay  in  starting, 
arising  from  the  gun-boats  being  well  to  the  rear,  which  I  improved  in 
borrowing  from  Commander  Steedman,  on  board  the  flag-ship  Paul 
Jones,  a  twelve-pound  dahlgren  boat-howitzer  and  fifty-two  rounds  of 
ammunition,  which  proved  of  great  service  to  me,  and  for  which  I 
desire  to  return  my  thanks.  I  was  also  furnished,  by  General  Bran- 
nan's  order,  with  fifty  men  from  the  New  York  Volunteer  Engineers, 
under  command  of  Captain  Eaton,  provided  with  the  necessary  im 
plements  for  cutting  the  railroad,  etc. 

"We  were  soon  under  way,  arid  had  proceeded  some  three  miles  up 
the  river  when  the  gun-boats  turned  around  and  went  back,  in  com 
pliance,  as  I  was  informed,  with  an  order  from  the  flag-ship.  I  how 
ever  continued  on  my  course  in  the  Planter,  meanwhile  signalling  to 
the  flag-officer  for  at  least  one  gun-boat,  in  reply  to  which  he  kindly 
sent  two,  viz.,  the  Patroon  and  the  Marblehead,  which  followed 
after  the  lapse  of  a  few  minutes.  The  river  at  this  point  was  very 
narrow  and  winding,  but  the  water  in  most  places  was  over  twelve  feet 
in  depth  at  low-tide.  I  found  no  difficulty,  therefore,  in  reaching  a 
point  two  miles  distant  from  Coosawhatchie  ;  but,  it  now  being  almost 
dead  low-tide,  further  progress  by  water  was  rendered  impossible  by 
the  Planter  running  aground.  Throwing  a  few  shells  in  the  woods,  I 
disembarked  with  my  infantry  and  engineers  as  expeditiously  as  pos 
sible,  taking  with  me  the  boat-howitzer  (referred  to  above),  in  charge 
of  Captain  Gould,  Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery,  and  a  detachment  of 
twelve  of  his  men.  The  swampy  nature  of  the  ground  rendered  land 
ing  difficult;  but,  losing  no  time,  I  advanced  towards  the  main  road, 
sending  a  request  to  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Patroon — the  gun 
boat  nearest  me,  and  about  one  mile  and  a  half  astern — to  cover  the 
road  in  my  rear  as  I  advanced.  I  should  state  here  that  both  the 
gun-boats  were  unfortunately  aground,  and  were  thus  prevented  from 
taking  a  position  nearer  to  the  Planter. 

"  My  advance  reported  squads  of  cavalry  in  sight  as  the  main  body 
entered  the  road,  which  it  did  at  right  angle  to  the  point  of  disem 
barkation.  Tfre  road  proved  to  be  an  excellent  one — hard  and  firm, 
and  evidently  repaired  but  an  hour  or  two  before,  the  dirt  being  still 
fresh,  and  the  tracks  upon  it  showed  plainly  that  artillery,  infantry, 
and  cavalry  had  just  passed  over  it.  I  continued  my  advance  toward 
the  town,  driving  in  the  enemy's  pickets  and  skirmishing  the  country 
as  thoroughly  as  possible,  when  about  one  mile  from  the  village  the 
whistle  of  a  locomotive  was  heard.  I  was  informed  by  the  '  contra 
band/  who  had  been  furnished  as  a  guide,  that  it  was  the  '  dirt  train ' 


FORT  PULASKI.  55 

which  always  passed  at  that  hour,  and  which,  he  said,  was  well  on  its 
way  to  Savannah.  A  few  moments,  however,  proved  that  he  had  mis 
informed  me  ;  for  when  the  main  body  had  arrived  at  a  point  within  a 
few  hundred  yards  of  the  town,  and  when  the  skirmishers  had  already 
reached  the  railroad  track  and  telegraph  line,  the  train  was  heard  and 
seen  coming  rapidly  down  the  road.  I  quickly  placed  my  battalion  in 
position,  and,  as  the  train  approached,  I  directed  a  heavy  and  rapid 
fire  upon  it  with  grape  and  canister  and  musketry.  This  fire  was  very 
destructive.  The  train  consisted  of  eight  cars,  six  of  which  were  plat 
forms  crowded  with  men,  the  two  box-cars  filled  with  officers.  There 
were  also  two  light  field-pieces  on  board.  Many  were  seen  to  fall  at 
the  first  fire  (among  them  the  engineer),  and  twenty-five  or  thirty 
jumped  from  the  train,  most  of  whom  were  maimed  or  killed,  the 
rest,  with  one  exception,  betaking  themselves  to  the  woods  and 
swamp  on  the  other  side  of  the  track.  We  carried  away  or  destroyed 
here  about  thirty  stands  of  arms,  mostly  rifles,  and  secured  one  of 
ficer's  sword  and  cap  and  a  stand  of  silk  colors  belonging  to  the 
Whippy  Swamp  Guards.'  We  left  a  number  of  the  enemy's  dead 
and  wounded  on  the  track.  I  have  since  learned,  from  the  Savannah 
papers  of  the  24th  and  25th,  that  among  the  killed  at  this  point  was 
Major  Harrison  of  the  Eleventh  Georgia  Regiment,  which  regiment, 
with  the  guards  named  above,  was  on  the  train.  Immediately  after 
the  train  had  passed,  Captain  Eaton,  by  my  direction,  set  vigorously 
to  work  tearing  up  the  railroad  track  and  demolishing  the  telegraph 
line,  and  continued  this  until  the  retreat  was  sounded.  After  this 
occurrence  I  concluded  if  possible  to  push  rapidly  into  the  town  and 
attack  the  troops  while  in  the  confusion  of  disembarking,  and  marched 
forward  for  that  purpose.  I  had  proceeded  but  a  short  distance,  how 
ever,  before  I  came  in  full  view  of  the  enemy's  forces,  advantageously 
posted  on  the  other  side  of  the  public-road  bridge,  between  that  and 
the  railroad  bridge ;  they  were  flanked  on  their  left  by  the  river,  and 
on  the  right  by  a  thick  swamp,  with  three  pieces  of  artillery  com 
manding  the  bridge.  They  immediately  opened  fire  upon  us  with 
their  artillery  and  infantry ;  fortunately,  however,  for  us,  firing  too 
high.  I  fired  a  few  rounds  in  return,  when,  as  it  was  now  nearly  night, 
and  the  enemy's  reinforcements  above  were  double  my  entire  force,  I 
marched  slowly  back  to  my  boats.  During  my  retreat  the  skirmish 
ers  frequently  observed  and  encountered  small  bodies  of  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  who  were,  however,  easily  driven  off.  I  directed  Captain 
Eaton  of  the  engineers  to  destroy  the  bridges  on  the  road  in  my  rear, 
which  he  did  thoroughly,  thus  in  a  measure  hindering  the  pursuit. 
The  enemy,  however,  made  his  appearance  and  attacked  us  with  infan 
try  and  artillery  three  several  times  during  our  embarkation,  but  on 


56  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.  VOLS. 

each  instance  we  drove  them  off  with  serious  loss,  as  they  were  direct 
ly  under  the  guns  of  the  Planter  and  Patroon. 

"  As  soon  as  the  steamer  again  floated  we  returned  to  Mackey's 
Point,  by  order  of  General  Brannan,  and  thence,  byway  of  Hilton 
Head,  to  this  Post. 

"  I  regret  to  report  that,  during  the  last  attack  of  the  enemy,  Lieu 
tenant  J.  B.  Blanding,  Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery,  at  that  time  in 
charge  of  the  Planter  s  guns,  was  dangerously  wounded  in  the  left 
arm  and  side;  he  is  now,  however,  doing  well.  This  was  the  only 
casualty  on  our  side  during  the  day. 

"  It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  state  that  every  officer  and  man  of 
my  command  behaved,  during  the  entire  day,  in  the  most  commend 
able  manner,  evincing  only  a  desire  to  meet  the  enemy,  and  regret  at 
the  necessity  of  retreat. 

"  Major  Green,  Acting  Lieutenant-Colonel  Forty-eighth  New  York 
Volunteers,  and  Captain  Strickland,  Acting  Major  do.,  were  especially 
useful. 

"  Captain  Gould,  Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery,  also  rendered  me 
most  efficient  service,  as  did  also  Captain  Eaton,  Serrels'  Volunteer 
Engineers,  all  of  whom  displayed  the  utmost  zeal,  energy,  and  ability 
in  all  they  were  called  upon  to  perform. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Captain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

"W.  B.  BARTON, 

"  Colonel  Forty-eighth  New  York  State  Volunteers, 

Commanding  Post. 

"  CAPTAIN  LAMBERT,  Assistant  Adjutant- General" 

Many  personal  adventures  might  be  added,  while  we  re 
mained  in  Fort  Pulaski,  did  space  permit.  For  instance, 
the  unique  experience  of  a  boat's  crew  of  five  men,  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant  Perry,  who  on  September  27, 
1862,  were  sent  up  the  river  with  dispatches  under  a  flag  of 
truce,  and  who  undertook  to  row  past  the  pickets  and  take 
a  look  at  the  rebel  ram  that  was  being  built  at  Savannah. 
The  fire  from  the  rifles  of  the  pickets  did  not  stop  them, 
but  a  shot  from  Fort  Jackson  did.  They  were  held  as 
prisoners  for  three  days,  and  then  they  were  let  go.  Foley, 
who  was  one  of  the  crew,  and  who  has  told  the  writer  of  the 
adventure,  says  that  the  reason  the  rebels  let  them  go,  he 
suspects,  was  because  they  were  such  a  "  lively  crowd."  They 


FORT  PULASKL  57 

did  not  esteem  themselves  as  the  most  "  shining  lights"  of 
"  Perry's  Saints."  Their  names  were:  Lieutenant  Perry; 
Privates  Luyster  of  Company  H,  Smith  of  C,  McGinniss 
and  Foley  of  F,  and  Moon  of  D. 

General  Hunter  again  assumed  command  of  the  De 
partment  after  the  lamented  death  of  General  Mitchel,  and 
life  at  Fort  Pulaski  resumed  with  us  its  monotony.  Our 
duties  were  all  routine.  Many  sports,  however,  were  en 
gaged  in  to  while  away  the  time,  and  all  will  recall  the  fish 
ing  for  sheep's-head,  the  duck-shooting  in  Calabogue  Sound, 
the  rowing,  base-ball,  and  other  sports.  Our  baseball  nine 
was  a  fine  success.  In  games  with  picked  nines  from  other 
regiments  it  generally  won  the  laurels.  In  a  game  with  the 
nine  of  the  Forty-seventh  New  York,  played  at  Fort  Pulaski, 
January  3,  1863,  it  won  by  a  score  of  twenty  to  seven.  But 
the  great  source  of  amusement  was  the  theatre.  It  may  be 
doubted  if  anything  (in  that  line)  was  as  fine  in  the  war  as 
the  three  theatres  which  were  erected  respectively  at  Fort 
Pulaski,  Ga.,  at  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  and  at  Hilton  Head, 
S.  C.,  by  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment,  where  entertainments 
of  a  not  unpretentious  class  were  given  by  the  actors  and 
actresses  of  the  "  Barton  Dramatic  Association."  It  so  hap 
pened  that  there  were  in  the  Forty-eighth  several  profes 
sional  actors,  and  especially  one  scenic  artist.  Major  Barrett, 
who  was  its  president,  has  furnished  from  memory  a  list  of 
the  members  of  the  Association,  and  a  sketch  of  its  career : 

James  A.  Barrett,  President. 

Robert  Dixon,  Stage  Manager  and  Tragedy. 

James  White,  Heavy  Tragedy. 

C.  L.  Harrison,  Scenic  Artist  and  Costumer. 

A.  J.  DeHaven,  Property  Man  and  Comedian. 

William  H.  Owen,  James  Barnes,  Joseph  Murphy,  John  Dupree, 
Comedy  and  Song. 

E.  J.  Barney,  Thomas  B.  Wood,  James  S.  Wyckoff,  J.  L.  Michaels, 
Walking  Gentlemen. 

Lewis  W.  Burr,  Abraham  J.  Palmer,  Leading  Ladies. 

Vitruvious  Witcomb,  Old  Lady. 

N.  W.  Pease,  John  Stewart,  Chambermaids. 

The  Regimental  Band,  Orchestra. 


58  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   F.   S.   VOLS. 

Colonel  Barton  gave  us  permission  to  use  an  out-building, 
25x70,  for  the  purpose,  and  detailed  all  the  mechanics  that 
were  needed  to  do  the  work  ;  and  in  a  very  short  time,  con 
sidering  their  facilities,  they  had  erected  a  very  well-equipped 
and  attractive  little  theatre  near  the  north  dock,  with  a  stage 
at  one  end,  private  boxes,  orchestra,  side-scenes  (parlor, 
kitchen,  and  street),  and  a  drop-curtain  on  which  was  painted 
a  picture  of  the  bombardment  of  the  fort.  They  sent  to 
New  York  for  canvas,  paint,  costumes,  lamps,  a  printing- 
press,  and  books  of  plays,  and  improvised  a  chandelier  and 
foot-lights  out  of  old  tin-cans.  The  theatre  seated  about 
one  hundred  persons.  On  the  opening  night  an  address 
was  delivered  by  Corporal  Michaels,  followed  by  the  farce 
"  Family  Jars  ;"  that  by  "  The  Flea,"-  by  Owens  of  Company 
H;  then  an  exhibition  of  light  balancing,  by  De  Haven;  then 
the  first  act  of  the  tragedy  of  Richard  III.;  a  song  by  Dick- 
son  ;  and  the  whole  concluded  with  a  tableau  of  Washing 
ton's  grave.  It  was  a  fine  success.  At  first  we  played  simple 
comedy,  such  as  "  Box  and  Cox,"  "  The  Secret,  or  a  Hole  in 
the  Wall,"  "  Rough  Diamond,"  and  the  like  ;  but  the  dra 
matic  element  soon  asserted  itself  and  ventured  upon  three 
acts  of  "Othello,"  against  the  judgment  of  most  of  the  officers, 
who  said  that  they  did  not  care  to  hear  such  a  piece  "  mur 
dered."  The  company  felt  that  their  reputation  was  at 
stake,  but  with  White  as  Othello,  Dickson  as  lago,  Burr  as 
Desdemona,  and  Palmer  as  EmiHa,  the  play  was  pronounced 
a  great  success  by  the  few  officers  who  had  consented  to 
witness  it,  and  a  loud  call  was  made  for  the  production  of 
the  whole  play  in  five  acts.  .This  was  done  and  received 
with  great  applause.  From  that  time  our  reputation  was 
established,  and  the  fame  of  the  "  Barton  Dramatic  Associa 
tion"  soon  spread  throughout  the  Department.  Major  Bar 
rett  writes,  "  Our  two  leading  ladies  were  said  to  be  the  hand 
somest  women  in  the  Department"  The  regular  play-nights 
were  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Fridays ;  but  the  fort  soon 
became  a  popular  resort  for  visitors,  and  we  were  often  called 
on  to  give  special  entertainments  for  the  benefit  of  guests. 


FORT  PULASKI.  59. 

On  the  night  before  the  expedition  started  for  Bluffton,  the 
writer  played  Trudgeon  in  the  "  Ghost  on  the  Wall,"  and 
captivating  the  heart  of  the  captain  of  the  transport  on  which 
we  embarked  that  night,  shared  his  hospitality  during  the 
expedition.  In  this  way  incidental  benefits  came  to  the 
actors. 

In  June,  1863,  we  closed  our  little  theatre,  and  in  the  raz/ 
tragedy  in  which  we  participated  on  Morris  Island,  the 
tragedies  we  played  \vtrt  soon  forgotten.  Subsequently  the 
fixtures  of  the  theatre  were  transferred  to  St.  Augustine, 
Fla.,  when  the  remnant  of  the  regiment  was  stationed 
there  after  the  fatal  losses  of  Fort  Wagner.  At  a  later 
period  they  built  another  theatre,  4OX  100,  at  Hilton  Head, 
where  they  played  to  crowded  houses  of  citizens  and  soldiers, 
until  marching  orders  sent  them  once  more  to  the  front. 
The  "  Barton  Dramatic  Association"  has  long  been  a  story 
of  the  past,  but  its  memories  are  pleasant  still  to  all  who 
participated  in  its  pleasures. 

Many  amusing  things  occurred  at  Fort  Pulaski,  like  the 
adventure  of  Lieutenant  Edwards  of  Company  C  (an  ex 
cellent  officer  but  a  strict  disciplinarian),  who  had  announced 
to  his  company  that  while  upon  drill,  under  no  circumstances 
whatever  should  there  be  any  talking  in  the  ranks,  and 
threatened  to  punish  the  first  man  who  should  speak  a  word. 
Then  he  proceeded  with  the  drill  of  his 'company,  giving  his 
orders,  "forward,"  " guide  right,"  "left  wheel,"  and  so  on 
until  the  company  was  facing  the  stairway  that  leads  to  the 
parapet  of  the  fort,  in  front  of  which  was  an  old  well,  with 
out  any  covering,  and  half-full  of  water,  towards  which  the 
lieutenant  was  walking  backwards,  saying  "  left,"  "  left," 
"left,"  until  suddenly  he  reached  the  well  and  went  into  it. 
When  he  succeeded  in  pulling  himself  out,  thoroughly  wet 
and  mad,  he  upbraided  the  company  for  not  warning  him  of 
his  danger,  and  was  reminded  of  his  order  not  to  speak  under 
any  circumstance.  He  joined  heartily  in  the  joke  after  he 
had  changed  his  clothing.  More  ludicrous  still  was  the  un 
happy  wording  of  an  order  of  Major  Beard's,  which  was 


60  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.   VOLS. 

read  at  parade  one  night.  Some  member  of  the  regiment 
had  recently  died,  and  in  announcing  his  death  the  Adjutant 
read  as  follows:  "  The  God  of  battles  will  give  him  a  patriot's 
reward,  by  order  of  O.  T.  Beard,  Major  Commanding" 

But  there  never  was  a  day  of  sport  in  the  history  of  the  re 
giment  to  be  compared  with  that  of  Thanksgiving  Day,  Nov. 
27,  1862.  Three  steamboats  loaded  with  guests,  including 
•Generals  Brannan  and  Terry,  arrived  from  Hilton  Head. 
We  had  a  sermon  by  the  chaplain  in  the  morning.  There 
was  target-shooting,  boat-racing,  foot-racing,  climbing  of  the 
greased  pole,  catching  of  the  greased  pig,  wheelbarrow  races, 
ludicrous  efforts  of  negroes  to  pick  a  gold  coin  out  of  a  tub 
•of  flour  with  their  teeth,  sack-races,  hurdle-races,  and  finally 
.a  grotesque  dress-parade,  and  a  great  supper,  and  in  every 
.sense  a  high  day.  I  append  a  copy  of  the  programme: 

PROGRAMME. 

Divine  Service  at  nine  o'clock  A.M.  The  Entertainment  to  com- 
imence  with — 

I.   TARGET   PRACTICE. 

Three  competitors  from  each  Company.  Distance,  200  yards.  Best 
:string  in  three  shots  each.  First  prize — gold  medal,  valued  at  $25. 
.Second  prize — silver  medal,  valued  at  $15.  Third  prize — bronze 
.medal,  valued  at  $10. 

II.    ROWING   MATCH. 

Distance,  one  mile  around  a  stake-boat  and  return.  First  prize — 
-purse  of  $10.  Second  prize— purse  of  $5.  Third  prize — purse  of  $2.50. 

III.    FOOT-RACE. 

Three  times  round  terre-plein,  and  over  twelve  hurdles  three  feet 
"high.  First  prize — purse  of  $10.  Second  prize — purse  of  $5.  Third 
prize— purse  of  $2.50. 

IV.  HURDLE   SACK-RACE. 

One  hundred  yards  and  return  ;  over  three  hurdles  fifty  yards  apart 
and  eighteen  inches  high.  First  prize — purse  of  $10.  Second  prize — 
purse  of  $5. 

V.  WHEELBARROW    RACE. 

Competitors  blindfolded,  trundling  a  wheelbarrow  once  across 
•terre-plem.  First  prize — purse  of  $10.  Second  prize — purse  of  $5. 


FORT  PULASKL  6 1 

• 

VI.   MEAL   FEAT. 

Exclusively  for  Contrabands.  Hands  tied  behind  the  back,  and  to- 
seize  with  the  teeth  a  $5  gold-piece  dropped  in  a  tub  of  meal.  Six 
competitors,  to  be  allowed  five  minutes  each  to  accomplish  the  feat. 
Prize— $5. 

VII.    GREASED   POLE. 

Pole  to  be  fifteen  feet  high.     Prize — $10. 

VIII.  'GREASED   PIG. 

To  be  seized  and  held  by  the  tail.  Three  competitors  from  each 
Company.  Prize — pig. 

IX.    BURLESQUE   DRESS   PARADE. 

Each  Company  will  be  allowed  to  enter  an  equal  number  of  com 
petitors  for  each  prize. 

The  usual  Dress  Parade  of  the  Garrison  will  take  place  at  4.30  P.M. 
Ball— 8  P.M.  Supper— 12  P.M.  Lunch  at  all  hours.  The  Third  Rhode 
Island  Minstrel  Band  will  play  at  intervals  during  the  evening.  The 
Band  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York  Regiment  will  perform  at  inter 
vals  during  the  day  and  evening.  [J51P  A  steamer  will  leave  the 
wharf  at  Hilton  Head  to  convey  guests  to  Fort  Pulaski  at  nine  o'clock, 
Thanksgiving  morning. 

A  correspondent  of  the  New  South,  from  Hilton  Head, 
gave  the  following  account  of  the  affair : 

"  The  steamer  Cosmopolitan  left  here  at  nine  o'clock  for  the  fort, 
conveying  to  the  scene  of  festivity  General  Terry  and  a  crowd  of 
prominent  officers,  together  with  quite  a  number  of  ladies.  The 
steamers  Mattano  and  Boston  followed,  with  guests  from  Beaufort, 
among  them  General  Brannan  and  a  portion  of  his  staff.  The  guests 
were  greeted  at  the  dock  with  pleasant  music  from  the  excellent  band 
of  the  regiment,  and  marched  in  line  to  the  fort,  which  fired  a  salute 
of  thirteen  guns  in  honor  of  the  Generals  as  the  procession  entered. 
The  interior  was  neatly  decorated  with  greens,  arranged  in  circles, 
stars,  and  festoons,  and  presented  a  very  pretty  appearance.  The 
guests  were  received  by  Mrs.  Barton,  the  amiable  lady  of  the  Colonel, 
whose  presence  greatly  enhanced  the  charm  of  the  occasion,  and  to 
whom,  with  the  other  ladies  residing  at  the  fort,  is  due  in  a  great 
measure  the  completeness  of  the  arrangements.  The  games  took 
place  upon  the  terre-plein,  and  were  observed  by  the  guests  from  the 
ramparts,  which  afforded  a  full  and  complete  view  of  everything  which 


•62  FORTY-EIGH7^H  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

transpired.  The  scene  was  very  striking;  the  massive  wall  surround 
ing  the  space  recalling  to  mind  the  ancient  arena  of  Rome,  the  theatre 
of  the  bloody  combats  of  the  gladiators.  It  would  take  too  much 
space  to  dwell  at  length  upon  the  details  of  this  part  of  the  entertain 
ment  ;  we  shall  therefore  merely  notice  the  more  interesting  and 
amusing  features.  The  games  inside  the  fort  commenced  with  the 
foot-race,  which  was  watched  with  great  interest,  and  the  fortunate 
victors  rewarded  with  the  several  prizes  and  enthusiastic  applause. 
Next  in  order  came  the  hurdle  sack-race,  which  created  intense  mer 
riment.  Half  a  dozen  competitors  were  tied  in  sacks  with  nothing 
but  the  head  visible,  and  with  their  pedal  extremities  thus  trammelled 
they  were  required  to  run  a  race  and  jump  over  two  hurdles.  The 
absurd  method  of  locomotion,  and  the  utter  helplessness  of  those  who 
were  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose  their  balance  and  tumble  over,  elicited 
shouts  of  laughter.  The  wheelbarrow  feat  also  resulted  in  very  laugh 
able  blunders.  The  competitors  for  the  prize  were  all  blindfolded  and 
placed  directly  in  a  line  with  a  certain  point,  the  one  coming  nearest 
to  the  goal  being  the  victor.  The  fun  of  the  affair  consisted  in  their 
deviation  at  every  imaginable  angle  from  a  straight  line,  soberly 
trotting  along  with  the  barrows,  under  the  pleasing  impression  that 
they  were  making  straight  for  the  goal ;  of  course  the  man  who  was 
farthest  away  was  greeted  with  shouts  of  derisive  applause  and  in 
cited  to  further  efforts  by  assurances  of  victory.  The  meal  feat  was 
perhaps  the  most  ludicrous  feature  of  .the  whole.  The  hands  of  the 
negroes  competing  for  the  prize  were  tied  behind  them,  and  they  were 
required  to  take  a  five-dollar  gold-piece  from  a  tub  of  meal  with  the 
mouth.  The  ludicrous  appearance  of  the  contraband's  head  when  it 
emerged  from  the  meal-tub  can  be  more  easily  imagined  than  described. 
They  were  very  earnest  in  their  search,  and  it  was  amusing  to  see  the 
anxious  looks  of  those  standing  by  lest  the  one  with  his  head  buried 
in  the  meal  should  be  successful,  and  they  cheated  of  their  turn.  The 
third  one  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  prize,  and  was  so  elated  with  his 
success  that  he  was  led  into  a  saltatory  manifestation  of  the  exuberance 
of  his  joy  and  capered  round  the  tub  of  meal  in  real  George  Christy 
style.  The  burlesque  dress-parade,  which  was  got  up  entirely  by  the 
privates,  and  carried  out  exceedingly  well,  was  a  good  termination  to 
the  comic  features  of  the  programme.  The  uniforms  were  grotesque 
in  the  extreme,  while  the  orders  and  manoeuvres  of  the  battalion  were 
both  original  and  ridiculous.  The  occasion  was  taken  advantage  of 
by  the  men  to  make  some  good-natured  hits  at  the  officers  in  the 
general  orders,  which,  notwithstanding  their  local  character,  seemed  to 
be  caught  and  appreciated  by  all.  The  games  went  off  with  eclat,  and 
-afforded  a  great  deal  of  amusement.  A  bountiful  lunch  was  provided 


FORT  PUI.ASKI.  63 

and  partaken  -of  by  all  during  their  progress.  Generals  Brannan  and 
Terry  both  left  early  in  the  evening,  and  with  them  many  officers  and 
several  ladies;  still  there  were  many  left  who  incoherently  expressed  a 
determination  to  see  it  out  and  '  not  go  home  till  morning,  till  day 
light  did  appear,' 

"  In  the  evening  the  steamer  Flora  arrived  from  Beaufort,  bringing 
General  Saxton  and  a  bevy  of  ladies  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  ball, 
which  began  at  eight  o'clock.  Three  casemates  connecting  by  door 
ways  formed  the  ball-room,  which  was  handsomely  decorated  with 
festoons  of  evergreens  and  bunting.  The  regimental  and  guard  colors 
were  also  tastefully  distributed  around  the  walls.  Excellent  music 
was  furnished  by  the  band  of  the  Forty-eighth,  and  the  dancing  con 
tinued  till  eleven  o'clock,  when  the  guests  were  ushered  into  the 
supper-room,  a  tent  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  the  interior  of 
which  was  beautifully  adorned  with  evergreens  and  palmetto  leaves. 
The  table  was  really  magnificent ;  bouquets  of  flowers  in  profusion  set 
it  off,  and  produced  a  very  beautiful  effect.  Considering  the  limited 
facilities  at  command,  we  are  astonished  at  the  completeness  of  the 
arrangements  and  the  excellence  of  the  supper  provided.  The  whole 
affair  reflects  great  credit  upon  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  and 
especially  upon  the  committees  who  had  it  in  charge.  Colonel  Barton 
and  Major  Green  were  both  assiduous  in  their  attentions  to  the  guests, 
as,  indeed,  were  all  the  officers  of  the  garrison.  General  Saxton  and 
his  party  left  at  midnight,  to  return  to  Beaufort,  on  the  steamer  Flora, 
but  many  still  lingered,  and  the  festivities  were  kept  up  till  dawn.  We 
must  not  forget  to  mention  the  Rhode  Island  Minstrel  Band,  which 
played  at  intervals  during  the  evening.  Their  performances,  which 
took  place  in  the  quarters  of  Company  G,  Third  Rhode  Island  Regi 
ment,  were  very  good,  and  witnessed  by  a  crowded  audience. 

"  The  old  walls  of  Fort  Pulaski  echoed  the  sounds  of  mirth  till 
morning.  Never  before,  we  venture  to  say,  did  they  frown  upon  so 
much  conviviality  and  good-cheer;  and  we  have  no  doubt  that  should 
Beauregard  with  his  ram  attempt  to  visit  our  generous  hosts  of  the 
fort,  he  will  meet  with  a  reception,  if  not  of  the  same  kind,  at  least  as 
warm  as  that  extended  to  their  guests  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  We  are 
sorry  to  say  that  the  enjoyment  of  the  occasion  was  somewhat  marred 
by  the  long  and  tedious  delay  in  getting  off  the  next  day.  The  steamer 
which  ought  to  have  left  for  Hilton  Head  early  in  the  morning  was 
delayed  until  afternoon,  and  colonels,  lieutenant-colonels,  majors,  and 
officers  of  every  grade,  who  were  all  anxious  to  return  to  their  posts, 
were  subjected  to  an  unnecessary  delay  of  more  than  half  a  day. 

"  The  names  of  some  of  the  victors  in  the  games  are  as  follows :  In 
target  practice,  John  Scanlon,  Company  A,  won  the  first  prize — a  gold 


64  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

medal  valued  at  $25.  In  the  rowing  match,  Company  F  won  the  first 
prize,  $10  ;  C  the  second  prize,  $5  ;  and  B  the  third  prize,  $2.50.  In 
the  foot  race,  Charles  McCreaf,  Company  D,  first  prize,  $10;  Isaac 
Cahart,  Company  H,  second  prize,  $5  ;  Edward  Lawrence,  Company 
A,  third  prize,  $2.50.  In  the  hurdle  sack-race,  Patrick  Shanley,  Com 
pany  G,  first  prize,  $10;  James  Beith,  Company  C,  second  prize,  $5. 
In  the  wheelbarrow  race,  John  Mclntyre,  Company  G,  first  prize,  $10;: 
Patrick  Brady,  Company  A,  second  prize,  $5.  In  the  meal  feat,  Sam 
Pope  was  the  fortunate  contraband." 

The  reperusal  of  the  above  will  recall  to  the  participants 
the  pleasures  of  that  Thanksgiving  Day  better  than  any 
attempted  description  from  memory  after  the  lapse  of  three 
and  twenty  years.  It  was  the  most  memorable  day  of 
festivity  in  our  entire  career. 

As  the  writer — on  the  visit  in  the  spring  of  1884,  already 
referred  to — re-entered  the  fort,  through  the  sally-port,  past 
the  moats,  now  filled  with  mud  and  grown  up  with  rank 
grasses,  and  stood  once  more  on  the  old  terre-plein,  memory 
recalled  the  scenes  of  that  happy  Thanksgiving  Day.  But 
the  casemates  were  empty,  the  water-condenser  rusted,  the 
terre-plein  itself  full  of  holes  filled  with  stagnant  water,  the 
wooden  doors  rotted,  and  the  whole  noble  fort  far  advanced 
in  decay.  He  thought  of  the  thousand  men  who  once 
thronged  its  walls,  many  of  whom  had  been  long  dead,  and 
the  survivors  far  scattered.  A  single  sergeant  and  his  wife 
constitute  the  garrison.  A  brood  of  chickens  now  pick  the 
grasses  on  the  ramparts  where  heroes  once  stood.  The 
silence,  the  crumbling  walls,  the  dismounted  and  rusted 
cannon,  and  the  sight  of  Pulaski  in  ruins  saddened  us. 

On  December  24,  1862,  Lieut.-Colonel  Beard  resigned. 
He  had  been  long  absent  from  the  regiment  upon  special 
duty.  His  achievements  at  Wall's  Cut  and  elsewhere  had, 
however,  reflected  credit  upon  the  regiment.  On  February 
6th  Chaplain  Strickland  left  us.  He  was  held  in  high  esteem 
as  a  brave  and  faithful  chaplain,  and  his  departure  was  greatly 
regretted.  A  sketch  of  his  connection  with  the  regiment 
from  his  own  pen,  written  just  before  his  death  in  1884,  will 


ill 

H 


S  af 
5S 


5  g  « 

S     fi 


g    »    Q 

8  *  § 
S  »•  a 


FORT  PULASKI,  65 

be  found  in  a  later  chapter.  On  February  9th  the  regiment 
was  inspected  by  General  E.  D.  Townsend,  Adjutant-General 
U.S.  A.,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Green,  Assistant  Inspector- 
General.  Both  complimented  our  drill  in  the  most  flattering 
terms.  A  flag  of  truce  was  frequently  interchanged  between 
Fort  Pulaski  and  Savannah ;  and  indeed  the  correspondence 
with  the  Confederates  by  flag  of  truce  was  usually  conducted 
from  the  fort.  In  the  spring  of  1863  the  policy  of  enlisting 
regiments  of  colored  soldiers  was  inaugurated  in  the  Depart 
ment,  and  certain  of  our  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  were  tendered  promotion  in  those  regiments.  Lieu 
tenant  B.  R.Corwin  obtained  the  position  of  Major  in  one  of 
them.  In  many  cases,  however,  the  promotion  was  declined, 
the  men  preferring  to  stay  with  their  old  comrades.  About 
this  time  also  there  were  indications  of  a  new  and  more  serious 
attempt  to  capture  the  city  of  Charleston.  The  attack  of 
the  iron-clad  fleet  upon  Fort  Sumter  on  April  the  Qth  was 
unsuccessful;  but  rumors  were  in  the  air  that  the  attempt 
would  not  end  with  that  failure.  So  drew  to  an  end  our  long 
imprisonment  on  garrison  duty  at  Fort  Pulaski.  Many 
personal  incidents  might  be  recorded,  of  special  interest, 
however,  only  to  the  few,  and  each  of  the  comrades  who 
reads  this  history  must  add  from  his  own  memory  those  that 
were  most  interesting  to  himself.  Many  mutual  exchanges 
of  hospitality  occurred  among  the  officers,. and  many  friend 
ships  and  some  antipathies  perhaps  were  formed.  Few  of 
those  things  were  known,  however,  to  the  unpretentious 
private  soldier  who  has  come  to  be  the  present  historian. 
On  one  occasion  the  Confederate  steamer  General  Lee  came 
down  from  Savannah  under  a  flag  of  truce  and  attempted  to 
go  back  without  orders.  She  was  fired  upon  by  the  fort, 
but  was  out  of  range,  so  the  little  tug-boat  was  sent  in  per- 
suit  of  her.  We  watched  the  race  of  the  two  boats  up  the 
river,  but  the  tug  was  far  the  faster  and  soon  overtook  the 
General  Lee.  Two  or  three  shots  from  the  howitzer  brought 
her  to  terms,  and  the  little  tug  towed  her  prize  down  the 
river  in  triumph.  Her  crew  were  taken  prisoners.  One  day 
5 


66 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


the  crew  of  a  picket-boat  came  down  to  the  fort,  bringing 
their  officer  with  them  an  involuntary  prisoner,  and  com 
pelling  him  to  even  steer  the  boat ;  they  brought  also  four 
English  carbine  rifles,  one  of  which  the  Colonel  gave  to  his 
orderly,  who  carried  it  from  that  day  until  that  fatal  night 
at  Fort  Wagner.  Expeditions  of  a  minor  order  were  con 
stantly  being  made  all  through  those  months  up  and  down 
the  Savannah  River,  and  through  the  little  creeks  that  were 
on  every  side  of  us ;  but  the  expeditions  to  Bluffton  and  to 
Coosawhatchie  were  the  chief  ones  that  signalized  our  days 


MARTELLO  TOWER,  TYBEE  ISLAND 

in  Fort  Pulaski.  We  ought  to  add  a  few  words  at  least 
concerning  Tybee  Island.  One  company  was  always  detailed 
to  do  picket-duty  there,  the  companies  taking  turns.  Their 
headquarters  were  in  the  old  martello-tower,  which  stands 
upon  almost  the  only  solid  point  of  the  island.  Its  quaint 
walls,  built  of  concrete  and  shells,  were  an  object  of  great 
interest  and  curiosity  to  us.  It  was  the  most  ancient  thing 
in  all  the  country  round.  The  writer's  principal  memory  of 
several  visits  to  it  was  the  terrible  sand-flies  and  mosquitoes 
of  the  neighborhood.  Many  stories  are  told,  such  as  the 
shooting  of  a  wild-hog  on  the  island  by  Sergeant  Allen  of 


FORT  PULASKL  6/ 

Company  I,  or  the  capturing  of  a  large  sea-turtle  by  Cor 
poral  Twamley  and  two  comrades  (also  of  Company  I),  it 
requiring  the  strength  of  all  three  to  turn  the  monster  upon 
its  back  on  the  sand.  The  turtle  filled  three  large  camp- 
kettles,  and  was  estimated  to  have  weighed  300  pounds. 
Company  I  was  on  Tybee  Island  a  long  while.  One  night 
in  the  fall  of  1862  they  disabled  the  blockade-runner  Sadowa, 
hailing  from  Nassau,  firing  several  shots  into  her,  and  she 
drifted  out  to  sea,  and  was  subsequently  captured  by  the 
gun-boat  Unadilla,  which  took  her  in  tow  to  Hilton  Head. 
General  Hunter  sent  a  letter  of  congratulations  to  Company 
I  ;  but  one  of  them  writes,  "  The  sailors  on  the  Unadilla  got 
the  prize-money."  To  some,  as  many  incidents  perhaps  are 
associated  with  Tybee  Island  as  with  the  fort. 

Sometimes  the  monotony  of  life  was  broken  by  the  arrival 
of  deserters  and  contrabands  at  the  fort.  A  photographer 
also  visited  us,  and  all  the  companies,  and  the  regiment  in 
line  of  battle  and  by  division,  and  the  officers  had  their  pic 
tures  taken.  We  are  glad  to  reproduce  in  cuts  certain  of 
these  pictures.  So  the  days  went  rapidly  by,  the  nights  also, 
unless  you  were  on  guard :  then  they  were  long  enough,  for 
nothing  ever  happened  to  break  their  tedious  length.  If 
you  spent  a  wakeful  night  in  your  bunk,  every  hour  you 
would  hear  the  call  go  from  guard  to  guard  around  the 
parapet,  as  at  midnight,  "  Twelve  o'clock  and  all's  well." 
Sentry  would  repeat  it  after  sentry,  and  when  it  came  back 
to  the  guard-house  the  officer  of  the  guard  would  know  that 
all  the  sentinels  were  awake.  Fort  Pulaski  was  graced  in 
those  days  by  the  presence  of  a  few  ladies.  We  recall  with 
great  pleasure  Mrs.  Colonel  Barton,  Mrs.  Quartermaster 
Avery,  Mrs.  Dr.  Mulford,  and  Mrs.  Fisher.  The  writer 
would  have  no  difficulty  to  add  reminiscences  of  our  life  at 
the  fort  at  much  greater  length,  but  perhaps  enough  has 
been  already  recalled.  A  word  ought  here  be  written,  how 
ever,  concerning  our  musicians,  who  attained  the  highest 
skill  while  in  Fort  Pulaski.  We  had  an  admirable  band, 
whose  music  was  our  inspiration  in  the  daily  drills  and 


68  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

parade.  Also  a  magnificent  corps  of  fifers  and  drummers, 
Edward  Hastings  being  "  chief  "musician,"  and  Wm.  Smith 
""  drum-major."  We  also  had  three  buglers — Anthony  Schel- 
lirtgs,  William  Andrews,  and  Joseph  C.  Hibson.  All  three 
were  brave  soldiers.  Andrews  and  Hibson  were  both 
Avounded  at  Wagner,  the  latter  four  times.  The  leader  of 
the  band  while  we  were  at  Fort  Pulaski  was  William  Thomas ; 
but  afterwards,  when  it  was  reorganized  at  St.  Augustine, 
'George  F.  Miller  became  leader,  and  among  its  members 
'were  the  following,  whose  names  we  are  able  to  recall : 
Doering,  Fitch,  Weed,  GofT,  Stewart,  Jones,  J.  A.  and  A. 
^B.  Dupree,  Ivans,  Shannon,  Sweeney,  Thompson,  Monell, 
AVhitcomb,  and  "  Frenchy." 

They  used  to  call  themselves  "big  blowers,"  but  they 
were  also  the  best  of  fellows,  as  well  as  good  soldiers ;  and 
the  splendid  music  they  rendered  enlivened  many  an  other 
wise  dull  hour  dunng  that  long  year  of  life  in  Fort  Pulaski. 

I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  close  this  chapter  with  selections 
from  a  letter  which  Major  Barrett  has  recently  received  fiom 
my  old  friend,  our  "  chief  musician,"  Edward  Hastings : 

"  NATIONAL  SOLDIERS'  HOME, 

"MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  OHIO,  June  1 6,  1885. 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND  :  My  recollection  of  many  things  connected  with 
the  Forty-eighth  New  York  is  very  imperfect,  as  I  gave  my  whole 
attention  to  my  own  duties  as  principal  musician  of  the  regimental  field 
music.  Only  when  in  front  of  the  enemy  was  I  otherwise  engaged, 
and  then  William  Smith,  the  drum-major,  and  myself  took  alternate 
command  night  and  day  of  the  Stretcher  Corps  attached  to  the  regi 
ment,  and  composed  mostly  of  the  bandsmen  and  a  few  detailed 
men,  the  drummers  not  being  strong  enough  to  carry  off  wounded 
men.  Drum-major  Smith  was  killed  at  Cold  Harbor  in  June,  1864, 
and  was  buried  a  little  in  the  rear  of  where  he  fell.  George  Rich- 
man  (Abe  Palmer's  special  friend  and  comrade),  who  was  a  drummer 
in  D  Company,  but  got  transferred  to  the  ranks  on  his  re-enlistment 
in  1863,  was  also  killed  at  Petersburg  while  in  the  advanced  trenches. 
James  Murther  was  also  wounded,  I  think,  at  Cold  Harbor  or  in  front 
of  Petersburg. 

"The  little  fellow  who  was  drummer  in  H  Company  died,  I  think,  at 
St.  Augustine,  while  you  were  recovering  from  your  Fort  Wagner  wound. 


FORT  PULASKI.  69 

John  Stout,  also  of  H  Company,  who  was  turned  over  to  me  as  a  fifer, 
also  sickened  and  died.  Your  other  drummer,  Pendleton,  enlisted  in 
the  Twelfth  Regular  Infantry  after  the  war — Company  A  ;  but  of  his 
subsequent  career  I  know  nothing.  Most  of  the  boys  (the  drummers 
I  mean)  were  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  when  I  was  living  with  you  ; 
but  I  never  saw  any  of  them  to  my  recollection.  Dave  Johnson  was 
killed  by  an  accident  in  Hudson  Avenue,  where  he  lived.  George 
Shannon,  of  E  Company,  who  was  subsequently  Acting-Quartermaster- 
Sergeant  while  we  were  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  when  I  last  heard  of  him,  in 
1867,  was  living  with  his  father,  a  hatter,  in  Hudson  Street,  New  York. 
Bennett,  Raymond,  Raynor,  Morgan,  Beith,  were  all  living  at  the  same 
the  time  in  Brooklyn  ;  but  I  know  nothing  of  their  subsequent  life. 

"  Stephenson,  who  succeeded  Drum-major  Smith,  was  discharged 
with  the  regiment  at  the  same  time  as  myself.  He  joined  the  regular 
army  some  time  after  ;  but  I  never  heard  anything  more  about  him.  Of 
the  fifers  Le  Moine,  Tom  Bennett,  and  Andy  Thompson,  I  know  only 
that  the  first  was  reported  as  being  poisoned  from  drinking  whiskey. 
Bennett  went  to  California  as  fifer  in  the  Seventeenth  Regular,  and 
Thompson  was  living  in  Newark  or  Jersey  City  with  his  family,  whom 
he  had  left  when  he  enlisted.  .  .  . 

"  I  wish  I  could  remember  anything  more  worthy  of  writing;  but  I 
can't,  unless  perhaps  questions  should  revive  recollections,  which  is 
just  possible.  EDWARD  HASTINGS, 

"  Late  Principal Musician  Forty-eighth  Regiment  N.  Y.  Volunteers" 


CHAPTER  V. 
Morris  Island— June  i  to  July  17,  1863. 

General  Gillmore  succeeds  General  Hunter — The  Department  of  the  South 
— Operations  against  Charleston — Admiral  Dahlgren  succeeds  Admiral 
Dupont — General  George  C.  Strong — The  "Fighting  Brigade"— June 
19,  leave  Fort  Pulaski — Companies  G  and  I  Remain — At  St.  Helena 
Island —  Folly  Island  —  Batteries  —  The  Flotilla —  Lighthouse  Inlet — 
July  10,  the  Assault  on  Morris  Island — Death  of  Captain  Lent — The 
Run  up  the  Beach — The  Fatal  Halt — Casualties — July  n,  Assault  on 
Fort  Wagner  by  Seventh  Connecticut,  Ninth  Maine,  and  Seventy-sixth 
Pennsylvania — Their  Repulse — Confederate  Accounts  of  It — Building 
Batteries — A  Confederate  Sortie — Companies  C  and  D  in  the  Trenches — 
Lieutenant  Tantum  and  the  Rebel — Wilgus. 

TN  the  early  summer  of  1863  the  National  Administration 
determined  upon  a  vigorous  attempt  to  take  the  city  of 
Charleston. 

The  attack  of  the  ironclads  under  Admiral  Dupont  had 
been  unsuccessful,  and  the  Admiral  did  not  seem  very 
sanguine  of  another  attempt.  Thereupon  the  Government 
removed  him  from  the  command  of  the  fleet,  and  ordered 
Admiral  Foote  to  succeed  him,  Admiral  Foote  died,  how 
ever,  a  few  days  afterwards,  while  on  his  way  to  his  new 
post  of  duty,  and  Admiral  Dahlgren  became  the  new  com 
mander  of  the  South  Atlantic  Squadron. 

At  the  same  time  General  David  Hunter  was  succeeded 
in  command  of  the  land  forces  by  General  Quincy  A.  Gill- 
more. 

The  new  General  and  the  new  Admiral  were  to  co-operate. 

The  soldiers  in  the  Department  of  the  South  knew  now 
that  their  hour  had  come,  and  they  welcomed  General  Gill- 
more  heartily,  and  anticipated  the  coming  campaigns  with 
great  joy.  All  felt  that  there  might  be  serious  fighting,  but 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  71 

no  one  then  conceived  that  we  were  about  to  enter  upon 
the  most  fatal  and  the  most  fruitless  campaign  of  the  entire 
war. 

General  Gillmore  seems  not  to  have  been  reluctant  to  un 
dertake  the  work  of  the  capture  of  Charleston,  if  we  may 


GENERAL  GILLMORE. 

• 

judge   by  the   following  letter,  which   is  supposed   to  have 
been  influential  in  securing  him  the  command  : 

"  NEW  YORK,  May  23,  1863. 
"  General  G.  W.  CULLUM,  Chief  of  Staff,  to  the  General-in-Chief. 

"  GENERAL  :  It  has  come  to  my  knowledge  that  my  name  has  been 
mentioned  to  the  Secretary  of  War  in  connection  with  the  reduction 
of  the  forts  in  Charleston  Harbor,  and  it  has  been  urgently  suggested  to 
place  me  in  a  position  where  I  could  direct  and  control  the  operations 
of  the  land  forces  against  that  place.  Two  or  three  communications 
from  prominent  men  here  have  been  sent  to  the  Secretary. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  inform  you,  who  are  so  well  acquainted  with 
me,  that  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  pushing  myself  forward  or  thrusting 
my  professional  opinion  unasked  upon  the  notice  of  those  in  author 
ity.  In  my  daily  intercourse  with  gentlemen  of  my  acquaintance  I 
am,  however,  always  free  to  answer  questions;  and  I  have  at- sundry 
times  and  in  sundry  places  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  forts  in 
Charleston  Harbor  could  be  reduced  by  the  means  (naval  and  military 
combined)  now  available  in  the  Department  of  the  South,  increased 


72  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

by  a  suitable  number  of  the  best  heavy  rifled  guns,  provided  these 
have  not  been  sent  there  since  I  left  the  Department  one  year  ago. 

"  I  have  also  said  that  I  am  willing  to  risk  my  own  reputation  upon 
the  attempt,  as  I  did  at  Pulaski,  provided  I  could  be  allowed  the  un 
trammelled  execution  of  my  own  plans  (as  at  Pulaski),  except  so  far  as; 
they  involve  co-operation  from  the  navy. 

"  You  are  at  liberty  to  show  this  letter  to  the  General-in-Chief  or  any 
one  else. 

"  I  expect  to  remain  here  until  the  evening  of  the  27th  instant,  and 
then  go  directly  to  Cincinnati. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  Q.  A.  GILLMORE,  Brigadier-General." 

It  is  asserted  that  General  Gillmore  was  selected  for  the- 
position  because  of  his  superior  skill  as  an  engineer,  and 
that  the  new  movement  against  Charleston  was  at  the  sug- 


ADMIRAL  DAHLGREN. 

gestion  of  the  Hon.  Horace  Greeley.  Whereupon  General 
Hunter,  smarting  under  his  removal  from  his  command,  ad1- 
dressed  an  angry  letter  to  the  famous  editor  of  the  New 
York  Tribune,  In  which  he  reminded  him  of  his  former  out 
cry  "On  to  Richmond  " — "in  which,"  wrote  the  irate  Gen 
eral,  "  you  wasted  much  ink,  and  other  men  shed  some  blood."" 
On  June  3d  the  orders  were  issued  for  General  Gillmore  to 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  73. 

succeed  General  Hunter,  and  on  June  I2th  Gillmore  reached 
Hilton  Head,  and  immediately  assumed  command.  We 
had  had  some  acquaintance  with  him  during  the  operations 
on  Dawfuskie  Island  in  the  siege  of  Fort  Pulaski,  but  he  was 
now  to  become  our  immediate  commander,  under  whom  we 
were  destined  to  march  on  many  long  campaigns  and  to 
pass  through  many  fiery  battles.  Gillmore  found  in  the 
Department  of  the  South  nearly  18,000  troops  of  the  finest 
quality  ;  for  they  were  veterans,  having  been  two  years  in 
the  service,  and  they  were  volunteers  who  had  rushed  to 
arms  in  the  summer  of  1^861,  at  the  President's  first  call  for 
men.  They  were,  therefore,  the  best  blood  of  the  Repub 
lic,  and  their  long  service  had  given  them  every  advantage 


OBSTRUCTIONS  IN  CHARLESTON  HARBOR. 

of  discipline  and  drill.  True  they  had  had  little  experience 
in  battle,  but  they  had  been  strangely  prepared  by  the 
years  of  training  and  inaction  for  the  desperate  work  that 
now  awaited  them.  Although  the  Department  of  the 
South  did  not  extend  far  into  the  interior,  it  ran  a  long  way 
parallel  with  the  coast,  and  Gillmore  was  required  to  picket 
a  line  250  miles  in  length,  besides  garrisoning  forts  and  posts 
at  various  places.  He  was  only  able,  therefore,  to  concen 
trate  about  11,000  troops  for  his  immediate  operations 
against  Charleston.  He  had,  however,  80  guns  of  the  heavi 
est  calibre,  and  was  supplied  with  materials  for  carrying  on 
a  siege  possibly  superior  to  those  which  any  General  had 
ever  before  possessed  in  all  the  history  of  war. 

General  Gillmore's  plan  of  operations,  briefly  stated,  was.:: 


74  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y,   S.  VOLS. 

"  First.  Make  a  descent  upon  and  take  possession  of  the  south  end 
of  Morris  Island. 

"  Second.  To  lay  siege  to  and  reduce  Battery  Wagner,  a  strong 
earthwork  near  the  north  end  of  the  island  and  about  2600  yards  from 
Fort  Sumter.  The  reduction  of  Battery  Wagner  would  necessitate 
the  fall  of  Battery  Gregg  on  Cumming's  Point. 

"  Third.  From  the  positions  thus  secured  to  demolish  Fort  Sumter, 
and  co-operate  with  the  navy  in  a  heavy  artillery  fire  when  it  should 
be  ready  to  move  forward. 

"  Fourth.  The  iron-clad  fleet  to  remove  the  channel  obstructions, 
run  by  the  batteries  on  Sullivan  and  James  Islands,  reach  the  city,  and 
compel  its  surrender." 

The  army  was  to  take  the  lead  in  all  but  the  fourth  of 
these  distinct  operations. 

Of  the  several  plans  for  operations  against  Charleston 
which  were  practicable,'  that  by  James  Island  had  been 
feebly  tried  at  Secessionville  in  June,  1862,  and  had  failed. 
Moreover,  the  navy  could  render  but  little  assistance. 

Also  the  plan  of  forcing  an  entrancein  to  Charleston  Har 
bor  by  the  fleet  had  been  attempted  and  had  failed  on  April 
7,  1863. 

The  plan  that  was  adopted — by  way  of  Morris  Island — 
had  the  two  advantages :  it  had  never  been  tried,  and  co 
operation  of  army  and  navy  was  practicable.  Therefore  it 
was  adopted  —  unhappily,  we  might  add,  for  it  proved  in 
many  respects  disastrous;  but  it  is  far  easier  to  criticise 
campaigns  when  you  are  writing  after  the  event  than  to  an 
ticipate  all  difficulties  beforehand. 

There  were  certain  other  advantages  which  the  Morris 
Island  plan  possessed. 

Our  forces  were  already  in  possession  of  Folly  Island. 
To  cross  over  Lighthouse  Inlet  and  secure  the  lower  end  of 
Morris  Island  was  believed  to  be  practicable,  and  it  proved 
to  be. 

Moreover,  the  fleet  had  always  a  safe  harbor  close  at 
hand, — in  North  Edisto  Inlet, — which  was  no  slight  consid 
eration,  as  the  monitors  were  not  supposed  to  ride  safely  in 
stormy  waters. 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  75 

The  mistakes  were  (as  are  now  apparent)  that  the  posses 
sion  of  Morris  Island  would  decide  the  fate  of  Charleston, 
and  that  Fort  Sumter  would  capitulate,  as  Fort  Pulaski  had 
done  when  breached  by  our  guns. 

Another  has  truly  written  that — 

"  Fort  Sumter  was  regarded  as  the  chief  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the 
navy  in  any  attempt  which  it  might  make  to  enter  the  harbor.  If 
that  fort  could  be  reduced,  or  its  defensive  power  destroyed,  the  fleet, 
it  was  argued,  could  readily  remove  the  obstructions,  force  an  en 
trance  into  the  harbor,  and  compel  the  surrender  of  the  city,  when 
the  evacuation  of  the  harbor  defences  would  necessarily  follow.  It 
was  admitted  that  the  navy  alone  could  not  capture  Sumter,  or  even 
so  cripple  it  as  to  render  it  harmless.  That  must  be  done  by  the  com 
bined  land  and  naval  forces,  and  General  Gillmore  had  been  selected 
to  command  the  Department  of  the  South  and  Admiral  Dahlgren  the 
South  Atlantic  Squadron,  for  the  express  purpose  of  carrying  into 
execution  the  plan  of  operations  which  the  former  had  proposed  for 
the  reduction  of  Fort  Sumter  and  then  the  capture  of  Charleston." 

It  will  now  be  necessary,  in  order  that  the  reader  may  un 
derstand  the  operations  about  to  be  described,  that  some 
description  of  the  locality,  soon  to  be  so  familiar,  should  be 
given.  I  gladly  avail  myself  of  an  article  by  General  Samuel 
Jones  of  the  Confederate  army,  which  is  at  hand  : 

"  The  city  of  Charleston  is  at  the  extremity  of  the  narrow  peninsula 
between  the  Cooper  and  Ashley  rivers.  James  Island,  to  the  south  and 
east,  is  separated  from  the  city  by  Ashley  River,  and  from  St.  John's 
Island,  to  the  south  and  west,  by  the  Stono  River.  In  greatest  extent 
from  north  to  south  it  is  about  nine  miles,  and  from  east  to  west  about 
seven  miles.  On  its  sea  front  it  is  bordered  by  a  narrow  sand-bank 
extending  from  the  entrance  to  Charleston  Harbor  to  Stono  Inlet, 
about  eleven  miles  in  length.  About  three  and  three  quarters  miles 
from  the  northern  extremity  this  bank  has  been  cut  through  by  the 
waters  of  the  ocean,  thus  dividing  it  into  two  islands.  The  northern 
part  is  Morris  Island,  the  southern  Folly  Island.  The  channel  between 
them  is  called  Lighthouse  Inlet.  These  islands  are  separated  from  the 
firm  land  of  James  Island  by  Folly  River  and  Creek,  Vincent's  Creek, 
and  impassable  marshes,  which  are  subject  to  overflow  by  very  high 
tides,  and  are  intersected  by  numerous  tortuous,  narrow,  but  deep 
streams. 


76   ,  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

"  The  northern  extremity  of  Morris  Island,  which  is  called  Cum- 
ming's  Point,  and  Sullivan's  Island  to  the  northeast,  border  the  en 
trance  to  Charleston  Harbor.  Fort  Moultrie  is  near  the  western  end 
of  Sullivan's  Island  and  distant  twenty-seven  hundred  yards  from 
Cumming's  Point,  on  which  the  Confederates  had  constructed  a  work 
called  Battery  Gregg.  Fort  Sumter  was  a  brick  work  of  three  tiers  of 
guns,  built  on  an  artificial  island  or  foundation  south  of  the  channel, 
nearly  midway  between  Sullivan's  and  James  Islands,  about  1760 
yards  from  Fort  Moultrie  on  the  former,  1980  yards  from  Fort  John 
son  on  the  latter,  1390  yards  from  Cumming's  Point,  and  three  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  city  of  Charleston. 

"  About  1300  yards  from  Cumming's  Point,  at  a  very  narrow  part  of 
Morris  Island,  was  an  earthwork  of  considerable  development  and 
strength  called  Battery  Wagner,  which  extended  from  the  beach  on 
the  east  to  Vincent  Creek  on  the  west,  presenting  to  the  southward  a 
front  of  about  275  yards. 

"The  island  is  wider  in  its  southern  than  in  its  northern  part,  the 
southern  extremity  on  Lighthouse  Inlet  being  about  one  thousand 
yards  in  width.  Its  surface  is  irregular  and  broken  by  sand  ridges,  form 
ing  at  many  points  secure  shelter  for  troops.  It  has  an  area  of  about 
four  hundred  acres,  its  middle  point  is  five  and  three  eighths  of  a  mile 
from  the  nearest  point  of  Charleston,  and  the  main  channel  into  the 
harbor  is  parallel  to  and  at  about  an  average  distance  of  twelve  hundred 
yards  from  it. 

"This  small  sand  island  has  been  thus  minutely  and  tediously  de 
scribed,  because  it  was  destined  to  be  the  camp  home  for  nearly  two 
years  of  many  thousands  of  men  ;  it  was  to  become  famous  as  the 
scene  of  a  siege  which  will  be  memorable  in  military  history  and  one 
of  the  most  formidable  bombardments  of  which  there  is  any  record, 
the  scene  of  great  labor  and  exposure,  much  desperate  fighting,  of 
sickness  and  death  in  all  the  frightful  forms  incident  to  war  and  to 
wasting  fevers." 

A  further  and  more  minute  description  of  the  portions  of 
the  island  where  we  operated  will  be  given  as  the  account- 
proceeds,  but  the  above,  with  the  help  of  a  good  map,*  should 
give  the  intelligent  reader  a  satisfactory  conception  of  the 
locality. 

To  Brigadier-General  George  C.  Strong,  a  young  man  but 
a  gallant  soldier,  who  had  already  "  won  his  spurs"  in  the 
war,  there  was  intrusted  the  delicate  task  of  selecting  a 

*  See  Map,  page  79. 


MORRIS  ISLAND. 


77 


picked  brigade  of  six  regiments  out  of  the  entire  depart 
ment,  with  which  he  was  to  make  the  desperate  assaults 
that  Gillmore  knew  would  have  to  be  made  at  the  capture 
of  Morris  Island.  Not  more  than  one  brigade  of  troops 
•could  be  handled  in  such  narrow  quarters:  it  was  therefore 
necessary  that  the  brigade  should  consist  of  the  very  best 
soldiers.  General  Strong  finally  selected  the  following  six 
regiments :  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania,  Sixth  and  Seventh 
Connecticut,  Forty-eighth  New  York,  Third  New  Hamp 
shire,  and  Ninth  Maine.  They  were  known  in  the  Depart 
ment,  as  they  are  destined  to  be  known  in  history,  as 


GENERAL  STRONG. 
(From  *'  HARPER'S  PICTORIAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  REBELLION.") 

"  Strong's  Fighting  Brigade."  It  was  esteemed  a  high 
honor  to  be  one  of  the  picked  regiments,  but  it  was  an 
honor  that  cost  many  brave  fellows  their  lives.  The  brigade 
won  its  fame  in  a  single  month  of  time,  during  which  it 
fought  three  famous  battles,  and  suffered  losses  not  else 
where  equalled  among  the  same  number  of  men  in  the  whole 
history  of  the  war.  Its  brave  and  honored  commander  fell 
at  its  head  on  the  fiery  parapets  of  Wagner.  It  was  destined 
for  immolation  and  immortality.  On  June  iSth  General 
Gillmore  came  to  Fort  Pulaski,  and  on  the  evening  of  that 
day  a  telegraphic  dispatch  was  received  by  the  submarine 
cable,  ordering  eight  companies  of  the  regiment  to  prepare 


78  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

cooked  rations  and  be  ready  for  embarkation  in  the  morn 
ing.  As  may  be  imagined,  great  excitement  prevailed  in 
the  fort  at  the  receipt  at  last  of  marching  orders.  We  had 
been  chosen  as  one  of  the  "  picked  "  regiments.  We  were 
in  high  spirits  at  that,  and  because  our  long  and  monotonous 
life  on  garrison  duty  was  at  an  end,  and  at  last  we  were  to 
meet  the  enemy  in  battle.  We  little  knew  what  desperate 
work  was  before  us,  nor  could  we  anticipate  how  cruel  and 
how  fatal  it  was  to  be.  Two  companies  were  to  be  left  be 
hind,  for  the  garrison  of  the  fort  and  for  picket  duty  on 
Tybee  Island  ;  the  companies  selected  were  G  and  I.  They 
remained  with*  great  reluctance,  yet  they  escaped  entirely 
the  perils  of  the 'fatal  campaign  on  Morris  Island.  Rations 
were  hastily  cooked,  and  next  day  we  left  our  old  quarters 
in  the  casemates,  which  had  been  our  home  for  a  whole 
year,  and  embarking  on  the  steamer  Ben  De  Ford,  anchored 
off  Tybee  Island  for  the  night,  and  on  the  next  day,  June  20,. 
landed  at  St.  Helena  Island — where  the  brigade  was  to  ren 
dezvous — and  went  into  camp. 

The  next  two  weeks  were  spent  in  brigade  drill  and 
organization.  We  liked  our  brilliant  brigade-commander,. 
General  Strong,  the  more  we  saw  of  him,  and  we  formed  a 
high  opinion  also  of  the  quality  of  the  regiments  with  which 
we  were  associated. 

We  missed  the  Forty-seventh  New  York,  but  for  the  Sixth 
and  Seventh  Connecticut  especially  we  had  a  deservedly 
high  respect.  On  July  4th  we  left  St.  Helena  Island  by 
ship,  and  landed  on  Folly  Island. 

General  Vogdes  had  been  in  possession  of  Folly  Island 
since  the  preceding  April,  had  cut  roads  through  its  im 
penetrable  jungles,  erected  batteries  at  the  various  points, 
and  kept  the  island  thoroughly  picketed  throughout. 
Folly  Island  is  about  seven  miles  in  length,  and  not  over  a 
mile  in  width  at  its  broadest  point.  On  the  west  it  is 
separated  from  James  Island  by  Folly  River  and  a  succes 
sion  of  marshes;  on  the  east  it  is  bordered  by  the  sea; 
Lighthouse  Inlet  on  the  north  separates  it  from  Morris 


M  OX  HIS  ISLAND. 


79 


Island.  The  inlet  is  about  six  hundred  yards  in  width.  The 
whole  surface  of  the  island  was  a  mass  of  thorns  and  briars ; 
but  we  cleared  a  place  among  them  as  best  we  could  and 
went  into  camp.  General  Vogdes  had  succeeded  in  erecting 
batteries  unobserved  by  the  enemy  on  the  north  end  of  the 
island,  or  more  properly  on  Little  Folly  Island,  which  easily 
commanded  the  enemy's  works  on  the  south  end  of  Morris 


SIEGE  OF  CHARLESTON. 

Island.  They  were  designed  to  cover  the  passage  of  the 
troops  over  Lighthouse  Inlet,  when  they  should  attempt  to 
carry  Morris  Island  by  assault.  The  batteries  were  so  com 
pletely  masked  by  thick  forests  of  pine  and  palmetto,  that 
their  very  existence  was  absolutely  unknown  to  the  enemy. 
They  were  made  of  sand  and  marsh  sod,  embrasured  and 
redetted,  with  magazines  and  bomb  and  splinter  proofs,  and 
in  twenty  days  after  they  were  begun  Gillmore  had  forty- 
eight  heavy  guns  in  position  upon  them.  The  plan  of  at- 


SO  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

tack  was  as  follows:  " Strong's  Fighting  Brigade"  was  to  be 
embarked  in  launches  in  the  night,  and  at  the  signal  of  the 
first  gun  from  the  batteries,  in  the  early  morning,  was  to 
row  across  Lighthouse  Inlet,  land  in  the  surf  on  Morris 
Island,  and  carry  the  island  by  assault.  It  was  a  bold  pro 
ject,  exposing  the  men  to  great  danger,  liable  to  many  con 
tingencies  which  might  thwart  it,  but  it  was  deemed  the 
most  practicable  plan  by  which  Morris  Island  could  be 
taken.  The  Confederate  fortifications  on  Morris  Island  at 
that  time  consisted  of  eight  one-gun  batteries  and  two  mor 
tar  batteries — one  for  two  mortars,  the  other  for  one.  All 
Avere  detached  and  stretched  along  the  sand  ridge,  designed 


BOMB  AND  SPLINTER  PROOF. 


to  protect  the  beach,  and  they  were  incomplete.  Rifle-pits 
or  infantry  epaulements  were  also  made,  extending  westward 
towards  Oyster  Point.  According  to  the  account  of  General 
Beauregard,  they  were  manned  as  follows:  612  infantry,  289 
artillerists,  261  cavalry — a  total  of  1162  men.  The  part  of 
Strong's  brigade  which  was  to  assail  them  numbered  be 
tween  two  and  three  thousand. 

To  divert  the  attention  of  the  enemy  from  Morris  to 
James  Island,  General  A.  H.  Terry  with  some  three  thou 
sand  troops,  was  now  sent  up  the  Stono,  landed  on  James 
Island  and  made  a  feint  against  the  enemy  there,  but  it  is 
doubtful  if  that  had  any  effect  to  withdraw  troops  from 
Morris  Island. 


MORRIS  ISLAND,  8 1 

Everything  *as  supposed  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  as 
sault,  on  the  night  of  July  8th,  and  we  were  marched  to  the 
place  of  embarkation ;  but  for  some  reason  there  was  a  delay 
of  twenty-four  hours,  and  we  returned  to  our  camp  wearied 
with  a  long  tramp  through  the  sand  and  underbrush  of  Folly 
Island.  At  three  o'clock  the  next  afternoon  (July  Qth)  the 
brigade  again  assembled  and  marched  to  the  place  on  Folly 
River,  where  the  boats  were  in  waiting  for  us.  Owing  to 
the  insufficient  number  of  launches,  after  the  Third  New 
Hampshire,  Sixth  and  Seventh  Connecticut,  Ninth  Maine, 
and  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania,  and  a  battalion  of  sharp 
shooters  had  embarked,  there  was  only  room  in  the  boats 
•for  four  companies  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment.  These 
were  companies  A,  C,  D,  and  F,  under  the  immediate  com 
mand  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  M.  Green.  The  other 
battalion  of  the  regiment,  under  Colonel  Barton,  marched 
to  the  north  end  of  the  island  in  the  rear  of  our  batteries, 
and  awaited  the  return  of  the  boats  the  next  morning.  Si 
lently,  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  Strong's  brigade,  packed 
closely  in  the  boats  and  escorted  by  four  howitzer  launches 
manned  by  sailors,  rowed  up  the  Folly  River  and  Creek  to 
the  entrance  to  Lighthouse  Inlet,  and  halted.  We  were 
thoroughly  masked  by  tall  marsh-grass,  and  so  noiselessly 
did  the  little  flotilla  move,  that  we  were  unheard  and  unob 
served  by  the  enemy.  There  we  rested  on  our  oars  the 
whole  night  through,  awaiting  the  signal  to  advance,  fearful 
every  moment  that  we  would  be  discovered  by  the  sentinels 
on  the  Confederate  works,  which  frowned  upon  us  from 
across  the  inlet.  No  one  who  remembers  his  sensations 
that  night  will  ever  forget  them  :  the  sailors  who  rowed  the 
boats  seemed  tranquil  enough,  being  more  at  home  on  the 
water,  but  the  soldiers  preferred  to  have  terra  firma  under 
them  when  they  fought ;  the  anticipation  of  having  the 
boat  you  are  in  blown  to  pieces  by  a  shell,  and  yourself, 
loaded  down  with  cartridge-box  and  accoutrements,  precipi 
tated  into  the  water  and  drowned,  was  not  exhilarating. 
To  face  the  perils  of  the  water  as  well  as  the  perils  of  bat- 
6 


82  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS, 

teries  in  front,  and  to  anticipate  it  a  long  night  through,  put 
the  courage  of  the  men  to  a  strain,  but  did  not  break  it,  A 
perfect  silence  reigned  all  about  us  that  night ;  the  screech 
ing  of  a  sea-fowl  as  it  flew  over  our  heads,  the  breaking  of  a 
twig  by  some  careless  foot  on  the  shore,  the  gentle  swash  of 
the  sea  against  the  sides  of  the  boats  and  the  beating  of  our 
own  hearts,  were  all  the  sounds  we  heard.  Hours  passed, 
and  not  a  word  was  spoken.  We  knew  the  batteries  were 
ready  on  Little  Folly  Island,  that  they  would  be  unmasked 
at  the  first  peep  of  day,  that  with  the  firing  of  their  first 
gun  we  would  be  rowed  rapidly  across  that  six  hundred 
yards  of  water  that  was  between  us  and  the  beach  of  Morris 
Island  in  our  front.  Whether  we  should  ever  reach  it  was 
what  we  did  not  know ;  and  we  all  feared  a  deal  more  that 
we  might  be  drowned  in  the  inlet,  than  any  danger  we 
should  meet  from  the  batteries  when  once  our  feet  were  on 
the  shore. 

The  forces  on  Folly  Island,  which  were  held  in  reserve 
under  General  Vogdes,  consisted  of  the  Sixty-second  Ohio, 
Colonel  Pond  ;  Sixty-seventh  Ohio,  Colonel  Voorhees ;  and 
Eighty-fifth  Pennsylvania,  Colonel  Howell, — who  were  near 
the  signal-station.  The  Seventh  New  Hampshire,  Colonel 
H.  S.  Putnam  ;  One  Hundredth  New  York,  Colonel  Dandy; 
a  battalion  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York,  Colonel  Wm.  B. 
Barton ;  and  Battery  B,  First  United  States  Artillery,  Cap 
tain  G.  V.  Henry  commanding, — were  at  the  northern  end  of 
Little  Folly  Island,  in  readiness  to  follow  General  Strong's 
brigade.  The  formidable  batteries  which  were  to  perform 
so  important  a  part  were  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Jackson  and  Major  L.  L.  Langdon,  First  United  States 
Artillery. 

Opposed  to  us, — if  we  may  accept  the  authority  of  Gen 
eral  Jones, — just  across  Lighthouse  Inlet  and  within  easy 
range,  were  the  detached  Confederate  battery  of  eight  guns 
and  three  mortars,  manned  by  two  companies  of  the  First 
South  Carolina  Artillery,  Captains  J.  C.  Mitchell  and  J.  R. 
Macbeth  commanding,  supported  by  the  Twenty-first  South 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  83 

Carolina  Infantry,  about  four  hundred  men,  Major  Mclver 
commanding,  and  a  detachment  of  the  First  South  Carolina 
Infantry,  under  Captain  Charles  T.  Haskell  (in  all  about 
seven  hundred).  The  garrison  of  Battery  Wagner,  about 
three  miles  distant  on  the  island,  was  two  companies  of 
artillery,  Captains  C.  E.  Chichester  and  J.  R.  Mathews  com 
manding,  and  of  Battery  Gregg,  Captain  Henry  R.  Lesesne's 
company  of  artillery.  All  of  the  artillery  on  the  island  was 
commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  A.  Yates,  First  South 
Carolina  Artillery.  The  whole  force  was  commanded  by 
Colonel  R.  F.  Graham,  Twenty-first  South  Carolina  Infantry. 

There  is  some  disparity  in  the  number  of  Confederates 
conceded  to  have  been  on  Morris  Island,  by  Generals  Jones 
and  Beauregard,  but  the  statements  of  both  are  given. 

Slowly  the  hours  of  the  night  passed,  but  as  the  sun  rose 
on  the  morning  of  July  loth  our  batteries  were  unmasked, 
and  thirty-two  guns  and  fifteen  mortars  opened  fire  upon 
the  Confederates,  to  their  immense  surprise.  A  few  min 
utes  later,  four  monitors,  the  Weehawken,  Commander  E. 
R.  Calhoun  ;  the  Nahant,  Commander  John  Downs  ;  the 
Kaatskill,  Commander  George  H.  Rodgers  ;  and  the  Mon- 
tauk,  Commander  D.  McN.  Fairfax, — which  had  crossed  the 
bar  and  taken  positions  from  which  some  of  the  Confederate 
batteries  could  be  enfiladed  and  others  taken  in  reverse, 
opened  fire  with  fifteen-  and  eleven-inch  guns  on  the  Con 
federate  left  and  the  four  howitzer  launches  pulled  into  posi 
tion  and  opened  on  the  right,  and  for  nearly  three  hours 
about  sixty  guns,  some  of  them  of  the  heaviest  calibre,  con 
centrated  a  rapid  and  accurate  fire  on  the  Confederate  posi 
tion. 

Some  delay  occurred  in  our  getting  off,  and  it  was  half- 
past  six  before  General  Strong  was  finally  signalled  to  ad 
vance  ;  then  we  "pulled  for  the  shore"  at  "  Oyster  Point" 
in  our  front  with  vigor.  The  enemy  saw  us  now,  and  their 
batteries  opened  on  us  :  they  did  such  poor  execution,  how 
ever,  that  they  sunk  but  one  of  the  boats,  wounding  two 
men  of  the  Sixth  Connecticut,  one  of  whom  had  his  leg 


84        •       FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.   S.  VOLS. 

taken  off,  but  he  swam  to  another  boat  and  was  rescued 
from  drowning,  although  he  died  soon  afterward  from  loss 
of  blood. 

It  was  only  a  matter  of  a  few  moments — that  crossing 
•of  Lighthouse  Inlet,  by  the  little  flotilla  of  launches  ;  but 
they  were  moments  of  intense  excitement.  A  brilliant 
writer  has  declared  that  in  all  the  annals  of  modern  war 
no  example  can  be  found  where  an  army  thus  approached 
•a  hostile  shore  in  boats,  landed  under  a  fire  of  artillery  and 
infantry,  and  drove  the  enemy  from  his  fortifications.  He 
likens  the  descent  on  Morris  Island  to  the  landing  of  Caesar 
•on  the  coast  of  Britain  and  of  William  the  Norman  at 
Hastings.* 

The  men  at  the  oars  pulled  with  their  might  ;  in  some 
boats  the  men  cheered ;  in  others  they  remained  silent ; 
it  was  no  time  for  words ;  in  twenty  minutes  we  were  in  the 
surf.  General  Strong  leaped  ashore  with  the  agility  of  a 
deer,  waved  aloft  his  sword,  and  shouted  to  his  troops, 
"  Come  on,  brigade !"  It  may  be  questioned  if  in  all  the 
history  of  the  war  a  more  picturesque  and  striking  figure 
could  have  been  seen  than  that  of  the  young  General  as  he 
sprang  into  the  surf  that  day  and  called  on  us  to  follow  him. 
He  lost  a  boot  in  the  mud  and  ran  up  the  shelly  beach  in 
his  stocking-feet.  He  first  ordered  the  Sixth  Connecticut 
ashore.  They  obeyed  him  with  alacrity,  and  at  the  word 
carried  the  sea-face  of  the  earthworks  on  our  right  with  but 
little  loss,  as  the  enemy  fled  before  them.  Then  General 
Strong  called  for  the  Ninth  Maine  to  attack  the  rifle-pits, 
but  the  tide  of  the  inlet  was  so  strong  that  they  had  been 
carried  above  the  landing-place,  and  could  not  reach  the 
shore  in  time.  The  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  and  Third 
New  Hampshire  were  in  the  same  plight.  Then  the  General 
called  for  the  Forty-eighth  New  York ;  the  sailors  at  the 
oars  in  our  boats  put  us  ashore  in  quick  time,  and  without 
waiting  for  further  orders  we  dashed  ahead  and  quickly 

*See  "Afloat  and  Ashore,"  by  Charles  Cowley. 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  85 

drove  the  rebels  out  of  the  first  line  of  the  rifle-pits,  then 
by  a  flank  movement  out  of  the  second.  It  was  at  that  mo 
ment  that  we  met  the  first  terrific  volley  straight  in  our 
faces  from  rebel  guns ;  and  there  fell  dead  at  the  head  of 
his  men  Captain  Lent  of  Company  A — the  first  officer  of 
the  regiment  to  be  killed  in  battle.  But  no  man  stopped; 
the  whole  brigade  was  now  ashore,  and  all  rushed  on  over 
sand-dunes  and  batteries,  past  the  Beacon  House,  and  on  in 
the  glare  of  the  sun  that  had  now  risen,  with  cheers  and 
shouts,  and  an  eager,  impetuous  "  forward,"  without  stop 
ping  either  to  tend  the  wounded  or  mourn  the  dead.  "  It 


BEACON  HOUSE,  MORRIS  ISLAND. 

was  a  glorious  victory."  We  captured  twelve  guns  and  one 
hundred  prisoners,  with  many  tents  and  much  camp  equip 
age,  stores,  several  Confederate  flags,  one  of  which  bore  the 
inscription  "  Pocotaligo,"  and  a  number  of  small  arms.  By 
ten  o'clock  we  had  captured  two  thirds  of  the  island.  The 
Confederates  retreated  before  us  precipitately  behind  the 
breastworks  of  Fort  Wagner.  Our  skirmishers  pushed  up 
to  within  musket-range  of  that  fortress  and  were  halted. 
The  sun  was  now  high  in  the  heavens  aiHd  blazed  down  its 
scorching  rays  upon  our  heads  ;  the  sand  blistered  our  feet; 
the  long  night  of  anxiety  and  wakefulness,  the  run  of  three 
miles  up  the  beach  and  over  the  sand-hills,  had  exhausted 
the  men.  General  Strong  thought  that  we  could  go  no  far- 


86  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

ther,  and  ordered  a  halt  in  order  that  we  might  rest  and 
reinforcements  be  brought  up  from  the  rear.  The  remain 
ing  companies  of  our  regiment,  which  had  also  crossed  the 
inlet  under  fire  with  the  reserve  brigade,  soon  joined  us, 
but  that  halt  in  front  of  Fort  Wagner,  which  seemed  at  the 
time  to  be  the  act  of  prudence,  if  not  of  necessity,  had  for 
us  all  most  fatal  consequences.  The  continuation  of  our 
dash  for  half  a  mile  farther  would  have  swept  the  enemy 
that  morning  off  Morris  Island,  and  captured,  with  a  com 
paratively  little  loss  of  life,  that  great  earthwork,  Battery 
Wagner,  whose  strength  was  not  then  anticipated,  but  which 
was  destined  to  defy  us  for  months  to  come,  and  before 
whose  flaming  parapets  the  majority  of  us  were  yet  to  fall. 
A  Confederate  account  contains  the  following  passage : 
"  Only  a  little  dash  on  the  part  of  the  Union  army  would 
have  given  them  the  whole  island :  all  they  had  to  do  was 
to  press  on  with  even  one  half  of  the  troops  they  had  land 
ed.  In  my  opinion,  it  did  not  justify  their  excess  of  pru 
dence ;  fortunately,  however,  it  saved  us." 

For  once,  we  think  that  "  Confederate's"  opinion  was  cor 
rect.  True  we  were  greatly  wearied,  but  we  had  not  run  far 
ther  than  the  enemy,  and  they  were  dispirited  by  flight  while 
we  were  buoyant  with  victory.  The  capture  of  Morris 
Island  was,  however,  a  splendid  achievement.  We  had  done 
an  unheard-of  thing  in  modern  military  history,  and  though  we 
had  made  the  assault  and  the  enemy  had  but  defended  their 
earthworks,  their  casualties  far  outnumbered  ours:  they 
lost  in  killed,  wounded,  and  captured  294,  of  whom  127  were 
prisoners  ;  our  losses  were  officially  reported  as  53  killed  and 
wounded — of  whom  14  were  killed.  But  four  companies  of 
the  Forty-eighth  were  engaged,  yet  our  losses  were  heavier 
than  that  of  any  other  regiment,  since  we  had  done  the 
most  severe  fighting  ;  Captain  Lent  was  especially  mourned 
by  his  brother  officers,  and  indeed  he  was  beloved  by  all  the 
men,  and  his  death  was  universally  lamented. 

General  Seymour  commended  very  highly  the  conduct  of 
his  troops : 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  87 

•"  For  the  brilliant  vigor,"  he  says,  "with  which  the  movements  of 
his  brigade  were  conducted  the  greatest  credit  is  due  to  Brigadier- 
General  Strong,  whose  personal  example  was  heroism  itself.  His  re 
port  justly  praises  his  subordinate  commanders,  and  to  those  I  must 
refer;  but  I  must  mention  particularly  the  excellent  conduct  of  Colonel 
•Chatfield,  Sixth  Connecticut,  who  led  his  regiment  in  the  advance  up 
Morris  Island  until  its  colors  were  riddled  by  the  close  fire  from  Bat 
tery  Wagner.  But  to  the  hearty  devotion  and  the  cheerful  courage 
of  the  soldiers  of  this  division,  in  the  patient  labors  in  preparing  for 
the  battle  and  the  ready  courage  with  which  they  fought  it,  must,  after 
all,  be  given  the  highest  honors,  and  their  gallant  conduct  in  this 
brilliant  action  will  always  be  to  their  commanders  and  their  country 
the  source  of  just  pride." 

The  victory  of  Morris  Island  has  not  received  much  atten 
tion  from  historians.  I  have  been  unable  to  find  more  than 
a  passing  account  of  it  anywhere,  but  it  was  one  of  the  few 
occasions  in  the  war  when  we  successfully  surprised  the 
enemy  in  an  important  engagement,  and  it  may  be  doubted 
if  such  great  results  were  accomplished  with  such  small 
losses,  and  certainly  never  in  such  a  picturesque  manner, 
throughout  the  war.  Nothing  had  been  neglected,  nothing 
unanticipated,  and  the  entire  movement  was  a  perfect  suc 
cess.  The  only  criticism  that  can  be  made  upon  it  is  that 
already  noted — we  should  have  gone  on.;  Fort  Wagner  had 
been  ours  that  day  at  small  cost,  but  no  one  then  supposed 
that  we  were  yet  confronted  by  any  such  formidable  earth 
work  as  "  Battery  Wagner"  proved  itself  to  be.  The  night 
of  July  loth  we  rested,  weary  enough,  sleeping  on  the  sand. 
We  had  foraged  a  little  that  afternoon  among  the  deserted 
rebel  camps.  The  writer  remembers  that  he  captured  a  pig. 
Reinforcements  had  arrived,  a  pontoon  bridge  had  been 
thrown  across  the  inlet  ;  we  were  not  afraid  of  a  counter-as 
sault,  for  we  had  now  men  enough  on  the  island  to  have 
•formed  a  solid  wall  across  it,  many  ranks  deep.  We  went 
to  sleep  therefore  that  night  feeling  that  the  worst  was  over, 
and  supposing  that  the  island  practically  was  ours,  and  that 
the  rebels  in  Fort  Wagner  and  at  Cumming's  Point  would 
probably  withdraw  during  the  night.  General  Beauregard 


88  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

was  greatly  blamed  by  the  Confederate  authorities  for  per 
mitting  himself  to  be  surprised  by  the  erection  of  our  bat 
teries  on  Little  Folly  Island.  The  Confederate  Secretary  of 
War  wrote  him  a  long  letter  of  inquiry  concerning  it.  Of 
course  he  denied  it,  and  laid  the  blame  on  somebody  else  ; 
but  the  fact  remains  that  he  was  surprised,  as  more  candid 
Confederate  military  authorities  now  freely  admit. 

It  was  determined  that  Fort  Wagner  should  be  carried  by 
assault  early  the  next  morning.  Three  regiments  of  the 
"  fighting  brigade"  were  selected  to  make  the  assault.  They 
were  the  four  companies  of  the  Seventh  Connecticut,  com 
manded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rodman,  the  Ninth  Maine, 
and  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania.  General  Strong  led  them 
in  person.  Haply  the  Forty-eighth  was  not  selected  for 
immolation  that  morning,  possibly  because  of  its  more 
serious  losses  on  the  day  before.  The  splendid  charge  of 
that  early  morning — July  nth — has  been  shamefully  belit 
tled  in  history.  True  it  was  overshadowed  by  the  great  as 
sault  which  was  made  seven  days  afterwards,  but  it  was  on 
the  part  of  one  regiment  at  least,  the  Seventh  Connecticut,  a 
magnificent  deed  of  valor.  They  formed  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  at  the  word  ran  forward  to  the  assault.  They 
drove  in  three  lines  of  pickets  and  received  their  successive 
fire  straight  in  their  faces,  without  firing  a  shot  in  return. 
The  Seventh  reached  the  ditch ;  the  other  regiments  failed 
to  come  up  in  support.  Their  behavior  has  been  severely 
criticised.  The  writer,  however,  will  not  permit  himself  to- 
do  so.  The  men  of  one  regiment  were  likely  to  be  as  brave 
as  those  of  another  ;  and  if  some  regiments  \vere  superior 
to  others,  those  which  were  inferior  were  so  generally,  by 
the  fault  of  their  officers.  It  is  said  that  when  General 
Strong  found  that  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  and  the 
Ninth  Maine  failed  to  come  on  to  the  support  of  the  gallant 
Seventh  Connecticut,  he  burst  into  tears,  exclaimed  bitterly, 
"  It  is  useless,"  and  ordered  a  retreat.  I  am  disposed  to 
think,  after  as  careful  a  study  as  I  have  been  able  to  make 
of  the  assault,  that  Major  J.  W.  Hicks,  who  commanded 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  89- 

the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania,  prompted  possibly  by  over- 
zeal,  attacked  a  different  angle  of  the  work  rather  than  fol 
low  the  Seventh  Connecticut  in  support,  as  he  had  been 
ordered  to  do.  Though  at  the  time  they  were  blamed  for 
the  failure  of  the -assault,  lam  unwilling,  after  more  than 
twenty  years,  to  reflect  upon  the  valor  of  a  gallant  regi 
ment  which  left  in  front  of  Fort  Wagner  that  morning  five 
officers  and  130  men  out  of  some  350  who  were  engaged. 
The  losses  of  the  Ninth  Maine  were  but  34. 

Survivors  of  the  Forty-eighth  will  remember  distinctly  wit 
nessing  that  assault  from  the  summits  of  the  sand-hills,  that 
early  morning.  The  rush  of  the  Seventh' Connecticut  like 
a  wave  up  the  beach,  its  recoil  also  before  the  terrible  and 
deadly  volleys  which  were  poured  into  it.  The  assault  failed 
in  everything,  except  in  demonstrating  the  great  and  unex 
pected  strength  of  "  Battery  Wagner."  The  Confederate 
losses  were  very  small,  only  one  officer  and  five  privates  killed 
and  the  same  number  wounded  ;  our  losses  have  never  been 
accurately  reported,  but  they  must  have  been  very  heavy 
in  proportion  to  the  number  engaged.  The  Confederates- 
claim  to  have  buried  95  of  our  men,  mostly  of  the  Seventh 
Connecticut,  within  their  lines,  and  to  have  captured  113 
prisoners,  40  of  whom  were  wounded.  There  is  a  state 
ment  also  that  350  wounded  men  from  that  assault  were 
carried  on  the  steamer  Cosmopolitan  to  Hilton  Head  ;  among 
them  was  Major  Hicks  of  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania, 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rodman,  the  heroic  commander  of 
the  Seventh  Connecticut,  who  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
leg.  He  was  the  only  man  brought  off  from  the  slopes  of 
the  work. 

Much  confusion  has  arisen  in  the  various  sketches  of  the 
campaign  on  Morris  Island  by  coupling  the  losses  of  the 
loth  with  those  of  the  nth  of  July.  The  battles,  how 
ever,  were  clearly  distinct.  By  the  courtesy  of  Captain 
Wm.  J.  Carlton,  to  whom  I  am  not  a  little  indebted  for 
data,  etc.,  a  copy  of  a  Confederate  account  of  the  assault 
has  been  obtained,  which  was  printed  in  a  Charleston^ 


9O  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

paper  of  April  18,  1883,  from  the  pen  of  Colonel  J.  H.  Rion, 
who  commanded  the  enemy's  picket -lines  that  morning. 
He  writes  as  follows : 

"  At  peep  of  day  my  attention  was  called  to  a^dark  mass  approach 
ing  my  front.  When  about  twenty-five  yards  off  I  ordered  the  videttes 
to  'fire  by  file/  which  they  did  ;  then  the  whole  battalion  rose,  formed 
lines,  and  gave  an  almost  simultaneous  '  yell.'  This  meant  for  me  '  All 
right ;'  for  Battery  Wagner,  '  They  are  coming.'  My  first  line  had  come 
to  a  '  ready ; '  we  could  see  the  beard  on  the  faces  of  the  Federals; 
•*  Aim — fire  ! '  Then  a  sheet  of  fire  bursts  into  the  advancing  line  ;  this 
doubles  up  their  front,  but  on  comes  the  body  at  a  double-quick  ;  we 
fall  back,  loading  as  we  retire,  and  form  on  the  left  of  the  second  line. 
•Coming  to  a  '  ready,'  'Aim — fire  ! '  and  we  pour  another  volley  into  their 
faces ;  their  front  staggers,  but  on  come  the  survivors  at  a  stately 
double-quick;  we  fall  back  to  the  third  line,  the  whole  battalion  com 
ing  to  a  '  ready  ; '  they  are  now  within  ten  steps  of  us  ;  '  Aim — fire ! '  for 
the  last  time  ;  the  effect  is  terrific — it  appears  as  when  a  wind  strikes 
the  stalks  of  a  wheat-field.  I  actually  felt  sorry  for  them  :  it  was 
•'  war,'  and  hence  '  fair,'  but  it  did  seem  to  me  that  we  were  taking  an 
unfair  advantage  of  them  ;  they  could  not  stop  to  fire  upon  us,  for 
time  was  all-important  to  them  ;  their  success  depended  on  reaching 
the  battery  without  delay,  and  hence  they  had  to  receive  these  dreadful 
-volleys  without  responding  ;  the  enemy  dashed  on,  but  barely  gave  us 
time  to  reach  the  inside  of  the  works  before  they  were  repulsed.  The 
Seventh  Connecticut,  under  Colonel  Rodman,  led  the  attacking  party. 
It  behaved  gallantly,  not  only  upon  this  occasion  but  likewise  at  Fort 
Pulaski,  and  was  never  known  to  flinch  anywhere." 

This  tribute  to  the  courage  of  our  brave  comrades  of  the 
Seventh  Connecticut,  by  the  first  "  rebel  "  they  met  that 
early  morning,  is  as  graceful  as  it  is  deserved. 

I  here  add  also  the  account  of  the  Confederate  General 
Jones, — although  it  contains  a  quotation  from  the  report  of 
General  Strong, — which  lays  the  blame  of  the  failure  upon 
the  two  regiments  in  support  : 

"  The  assault  of  Battery  Wagner,  which  the  troops  were  too  much 
•exhausted  to  attempt  on  the  loth,  was  made  about  day-dawn  the  next 
imorning  by  General  Strong. 

"The  garrison  of  Wagner  at  that  time  consisted  of  the  shattered 
remainder  of  the  troops  which  had  contested  the  landing  the  previous 


MORRIS  ISLAND.  9 1 

morning,  namely,  the  Twenty-first  South  Carolina  Regiment,  about 
two  hundred  men,  under  Major  J.  G.  W.  Mclver  ;  twenty  men  of  Com 
pany  D,  First  South  Carolina  Infantry,  Lieutenant  Horlbeck  com 
manding;  and  seventy  men  of  Companies  E,  H,  and  I,  First  South 
Carolina  Artillery,  under  Captain  John  C.  Mitchell ;  also  the  Gist 
Guard,  Captain  C.  E.  Chichester,  and  Mathews'  Artillery,  Captain  J. 
R.  Mathews,  which  had  occupied  the  battery  on  the  roth  ;  the  Seventh 
South  Carolina  Battalion,  about  three  hundred  men,  Major  J.  H. 
Rion  commanding ;  four  companies  each  of  the  First  Georgia  Regi 
ment,  Colonel  C.  H.  Olmstead  ;  and  Twelfth  Georgia  Battalion,  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  H.  D.  Capers;  and  three  companies  of  the  Eighteenth 
Georgia  Battalion,  Major  W.  S.  Basinger — in  all  about  five  hundred 
men,  Colonel  Olmstead  commanding.  The  aggregate  force  was 
about  twelve  hundred  men. 

"The  South  Carolinians  manned  the  guns  and  the  right  and  right 
centre  of  the  ramparts.  The  Georgians,  who  arrived  in  the  night  of 
the  roth,  guarded  the  left  and  left  centre  of  the  work.  The  Eigh 
teenth  Battalion  occupied  the  southeast  bastion,  the  First  Georgia 
along  the  sea-front  to  the  left,  the  Twelfth  Georgia  Battalion  to  the 
right,  connecting  with  the  Carolinians.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Yates 
commanded  the  artillery  and  Colonel  R.  F.  Graham  (Twenty-first 
South  Carolina)  the  whole. 

"  THE   ASSAULTING   COLUMN. 

"General  Strong  formed  his  brigade  before  day-adwn.  The  assault 
ing  column  consisted  of  the  battalion  of  the  Seventh  Connecticut, 
the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Ninth  Maine.  The  Seventh 
Connecticut  led  the  advance,' — Lieutenant  -  Colonel  Rodman  com 
manding.  The  Third  and  Seventh  New  Hampshire  were  held  in  re 
serve.  The  battalion  of  the  Seveitth  Connecticut  was  deployed  in 
line  in  front,  followed  closely  in  the  order  named  by  the  Seventy- 
sixth  Pennsylvania  and  Ninth  Maine,  each  formed  in  close  divisions. 
They  wrere  ordered  to  carefully  preserve  their  intervals  and  when  the 
Confederates  should  open  fire  to  rush  forward  with  a  cheer,  mount 
the  parapet,  and  carry  the  battery  by  storm. 

"WHAT    LOST   THE    BATTLE. 

"  General  Strong  commanded  in  person.  His  instructions  were 
most  faithfully  carried  out  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rodman,  who  led 
his  Seventh  Connecticut  men  under  a  brisk  fire  of  cannon  and 
musketry  to  the  ditch,  and  some  of  them  to  the  top  of  the  parapet, 
where,  it  is  reported,  they  bayoneted  two  Confederate  gunners. 


92  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.   VOLS. 

"'But  unfortunately/  says  General  Strong  in  his  report,  'when 
the  enemy  opened  fire  simultaneously  along  the  whole  line,  and  with 
a  range  of  two  hundred  yards,  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  halted 
and  lay  down  upon  the  ground.  Though  they  remained  in  this  posi 
tion  but  a  few  moments  and  afterwards  moved  gallantly  forward, 
some  of  them  even  to  the  ditch,  that  halt  lost  the  battle,  for  the  in 
terval  was  lost,  and  the  Seventh  Connecticut,  unsupported,  were 
driven  from  the  parapet.  The  whole  column,  including  the  Ninth 
Maine,  which  had  reached  the  ditch  on  the  left,  gave  way  and  re 
treated  from  the  field.' 

"  The  garrison  of  Wagner  had  of  course  expected  an  attack,  and 
was  on  the  alert  all  night.  When  the  column  was  seen  advancing  in 
the  dim  light  of  early  dawn  Colonel  Graham  deliberately  held  his  fire 
until  his  enemy  was  within  close  range,  then  opened  simultaneously 
along  his  whole  line,  firing  rapidly  and  continuously  until  the  last 
man  of  the  rapidly  retreating  column  was  under  cover  of  the  sand 
hills. 

"  GALLANTRY   OF   THE   SEVENTH   CONNECTICUT. 

"  The  Seventh  Connecticut  was  particularly  distinguished  on  this 
occasion.  Unsupported,  and  when  there  seemed  no  hope  of  success, 
some  of  the  men  persisted  with  great  daring  in  their  efforts  to  force 
an  entrance  into  the  work.  One  brave  man  sprang  to  the  parapet  in 
front  of  a  thirty-two-pounder,  double-charged  with  grape-shot.  Lieu 
tenant  Gilchrist  of  South  Carolina,  in  command  of  the  gun,  struck 
•by  the  man's  fearless  bearing,  called  to  him  to  come  in  before  the  gun 
was  fired.  As  quick  as  thought  the  man's  rifle  was  levelled  and  a  ball 
whizzed  by  Gilchrist's  head.  The  discharge  of  the  gun  followed,  and 
the  man  was  hurled  across  the  ditch  a  mangled  corpse.  This  regi 
ment  had  been  the  first  to  enter  Fort  Pulaski  when  it  was  captured 
the  year  before,  and  tfte  officers  and  men  had  behaved  with  much 
kindness  towards  Colonel  Olmstead  and  his  men  who  were  captured 
on  that  occasion.  Among  the  prisoners  captured  at  this  time  were 
many  of  this  regiment,  who  recognized  their  former  prisoners,  call 
ing  them  by  name  and  were  received  by  them  with  as  much  kind 
consideration  as  the  circumstances  permitted. 

"THE    FEDERAL    LOSS. 

"  General  Strong  in  his  official  report  to  General  Gillmore,  made  on 
the  day  of  the  assault,  states  that  his  loss  that  morning  was  eight 
officers  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates.  Among  the  severely  wounded  was  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Rodman  of  the  Seventh  Connecticut.  Captain  Gray,  who  succeeded 


MORKIS  ISLAND,  93 

to  the  command  of  the  battalion  of  the  Seventh  Connecticut,  reports 
that  one  hundred  and  ninety-one  men  of  the  battalion  went  to  the 
assault  and  that  one  hundred  and  three  of  them  were  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing,  and  he  adds  that  their  mess  contained  eleven  officers 
that  morning  before  the  assault  and  but  four  after  it. 

"  The  Confederate  loss  in  the  assault  was  one  officer  and  five  en 
listed  men  killed,  and  one  officer  and  five  enlisted  men  wounded." 

After  the  repulse  of  July  nth,  General  Gillmore  and  Ad 
miral  Dahlgren  held  a  consultation,  and  it  was  determined 
to  erect  batteries  and  to  level  the  parapets  of  Fort  Wagner 
by  a  bombardment  before  it  was  again  attempted  to  carry 
it  by  assault. 

The  very  next  day  work  began — battery-building  across 
the  island,  1350  yards  from  the  Confederate  fort;  and  day 
and  night  for  the  next  week  the  work  was  pushed  forward. 
Guns  and  mortars  were  brought  from  the  batteries  on  Folly 
Island  and  mounted  on  the  works  on  Morris  Island.  Twen 
ty-six  guns  were  soon  in  position.  They  were  three-inch 
rifle  pieces,  lo-pounder  Parrott's,  30  pounder  Parrotts,  20- 
pounder  Parrotts,  and  eight-inch  siege  mortars.  Battery 
Wagner  was  mostly  armed  with  what  the  rebels  called  sea- 
coast  howitzers — guns  which  at  short  range  upon  assaulting 
columns  were  capable  of  the  most  deadly  work.  Lines  of 
rifle-pits  were  thrown  across  the  island  in  front  of  our  bat 
teries  and  were  constantly  being  advanced,  and  duty  in  the 
rifle-pits  now  became  a  fiery  ordeal  to  the  men.  The  guns 
of  Fort  Wagner  were  never  silent. 

From  Fort  Johnson,  also  on  James  Island,  from  Fort  Sum- 
ter,  and  Battery  Gregg  they  converged  upon  our  lines  a 
most  deadly  fire.  But  the  work  went  steadily  on  from  the 
nth  to  the  1 8th  of  the  month,  building  batteries,  mounting 
guns,  and  preparing  for  the  great  bombardment  and  the 
great  assault.  The  regiment  remained  in  its  position, 
among  the  sand-hills  in  the  rear  of  the  batteries  when  the 
men  were  not  on  picket.  This  chapter  may  well  conclude 
with  an  account  of  the  only  incident  of  any  moment  that 
befell  us  before  the  fatal  assault  of  July  i8th.  In  the  night 
of  the  1 3th  or  the  early  morning  of  the  I4th  the  enemy  made 


94  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

• 

a  sortie  upon  our  picket-lines,  which  happened  at  the  time 
to  be  manned  by  Companies  C  and  D  of  the  Forty-eighth. 
These  companies  had  three  telescopic  rifles,  with  which  from 
the  rifle-pits  they  were  able  to  pick  off  the  gunners  and  so 
to  silence  the  guns  on  Wagner.  The  sortie  was  supposed 
to  have  been  made  because  of  their  exasperation  on  that 
account.  A  Confederate  soldier,  however,  whom  the  writer 
met  on  his  recent  visit  to  Charleston,  and  who  participated 
in  it,  assured  him  that  it  was  made  rather  to  test  the 
strength  of  our  lines.  The  commander  of  the  sortie  him 
self  asserted  that  it  was  for  the  further  purpose  of  capturing 
two  or  three  prisoners,  from  whom  General  Beauregard 
wished  to  seek  -information  concerning  the  number  of  our 
forces.  The  sortie  was  under  the  command  of  Major  Rion 
of  the  Seventh  South  Carolina  battalion,  and  his  party  con 
sisted  of  150  men.  They  came  down  upon  our  picket  with 
a  rush  and  a  yell,  and  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  in  the  dark 
ness  ensued.  The  Confederates  call  it  a  reconnoissance,  but 
it  was  an  expensive  one  to  them.  They  acknowledge  the 
loss  of  two  killed,  nine  wounded,  and  three  missing;  but  the 
loss  must  have  been  much  greater.  In  the  midst  of  the 
melee  a  rebel  sergeant  tried  to  capture  Lieutenant  John  M. 
Tantum  ;  but  that  stalwart  Soldier  simply  threw  his  arms 
around  the  rebel,  lifted  him  up,  and  carried  him  bodily  to 
the  rear,  a  prisoner.  Our  losses  were  one  killed,  two 
wounded,  and  two  taken  prisoner  ;  one  of  the  wounded  was 
the  writer's  bunk-mate  at  Fort  Pulaski,  Stacy  K.  Duffle :  he 
was  shot  in  the  leg  after  he  had  surrendered.  After  the 
melee  he  was  borne  on  a  stretcher  down  the  beach  to  the  hos 
pital  ;  he  died  of  his  wound.  The  two  prisoners  were  Pri 
vates  John  L.  Wilgus  of  Company  D  and  James  A.  Nesbitt 
of  Company  C.  Eight  months  afterward,  the  writer  stood 
by  the  side  of  Wilgus  when  he  died  in  the  prison-hospital 
at  Richmond.  He  had  been  perhaps  the  most  religious 
man  of  Company  D,  and  the  leader  of  the  weekly  prayer- 
meetings,  and  to  the  hymns  that  he  had  sung  that  com 
pany  was  indebted  for  their  well-known  sobriquet  of  the 
"  Die-no-mores." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Fort  Wagner— July  18,  1863. 

"  Battery"  Wagner — Location — Construction — The  Model  at  West  Point — 
The  Union  Fleet — The  Bombardment — The  Confederate  Garrison — 
Account  of  the  Confederate  General  Taliaferro — Strong's  "  Fighting 
Brigade" — Putnam's  and  Stephenson's  Brigades  in  Support — The 
Three  Assaults — Charge  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts — Their  Re 
pulse — Death  of  Colonel  Shaw — Charge  of  Strong's  Brigade — The 
Sixth  Connecticut  and  Forty-eighth  New  York  in  Advance — Terrible 
Slaughter — Capture  of  the  Southeast  Bastion — Confederate  Account — 
Losses — General  Strong  Mortally  Wounded — Charge  of  Putnam's  Brigade 
in  Support — Its  Failure — Lieutenant-Colonel  Green  Killed — Colonel  Bar 
ton  Wounded — Captains  Farrell  and  Hurst  Killed — Lieutenant  Edwards 
Killed — Captain  Paxson  and  Lieutenant  Fox  Mortally  Wounded — The 
Defence  of  the  Captured  Bastion  till  Midnight — The  Mistaken  Vol 
ley  from  the  Rear — A  Costly  Blunder — Calls  for  Reinforcements — Why 
they  Never  Came — "  Holding  the  Fort" — Heroic  "  Privates" — The 
Midnight  Surrender — Account  of  Charles  Cowley — Account  of  Confeder 
ate  General  Taliaferro — "The  Assailants  Assailed" — "Die-no-mores, 
Follow  Me" — Experiences  of  Private  Conklin — Blunders — Medals — Fate 
of  the  Prisoners —  Fort  Wagner  Twice  Revisited — Its  Final  Capture. 

"  ID  ATTERY  WAGNER,"  as  it  was  called  by  the  Confed 
erates  ("  Fort"  Wagner  by  the  Federals),  was  located 
by  General  Pemberton  in  1862,  but  it  was  greatly  enlarged  and 
strengthened  by  General  Beauregard,  who  succeeded  Pem 
berton  in  the  command  of  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  fall  of 
that  year.  He  added  traverses  between  its  land-guns,  three 
heavy  guns  to  its  sea-face,  and  built  the  enormous  bomb- 
proofs  which  so  successfully  sheltered  its  garrisons  through 
the  several  bombardments.  Its  precise  situation  was  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  Cummings  Point  on  Morris 
Island,  and  one  and  a  half  miles  from  Fort  Sumter.  -It  ran 
from  the  sea  to  Vincent's  Creek  across  a  narrow  point  of 


•g6  FORTY- EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

the  island.  It  had  a  bastioned  front,  and  was  so  strongly 
•constructed  that,  in  Beauregard's  own  words,  "  It  successfully 
withstood  during  fifty-eight  days  the  heaviest  land  and 
naval  attacks  known  in  history."  Every  device  of  skilful 
military  engineering  was  resorted  to  to  render  Wagner  im 
pregnable.  Its  location  was  a  stroke  of  genius,  for  it  was  not 
placed  at  the  very  narrowest  point  of  the  island,  but  some 
hundred  of  yards  back  of  it,  so  that  it  was  many  times  wider 
than  the  narrowest  point  in  its  front  over  which  our  ap 
proaches  had  to  be  made  ;  yet  the  earthwork  crossed  the 
entire  island  where  it  stood,  with  its  flanks  perfectly  pro 
tected  by  a  marsh  and  creek  on  its  right  and  the  sea  on  its 
left.  It  was  provided  also  with  a  sluice-gate  entrance  to  the 
ditch,  which  retained  the  water  admitted  at  high-tide.  Its 
garrisons  could  receive  reinforcements  and  supplies  at  all 
times  from  Cummings  Point  and  Charleston.  It  was  possi 
ble  also,  from  the  location  of  other  Confederate  forts  and 
batteries,  to  bring  to  bear  a  concentrated  and  cross  fire  from 
six  separate  points  upon  the  space  in  its  front ;  and  indeed  it 
was  through  such  a  fire  that  both  the  great  assaults  were 
made,  and  despite  it  that  Fort  Wagner  was  ultimately  taken 
by  siege.  Its  front  was  protected  against  assault  by  a  heavy 
line  of  palisading,  by  wire  entanglements,  torpedoes,  and 
•every  device  known  to  ferocious  warfare.  One  of  these  con 
trivances  of  Beauregard's  has  properly  been  called  "  devilish." 
On  the  sides  of  the  ditch  he  placed  a  hedge  of  lances  and  spears 
with  long  hickory  handles,  firmly  set  in  the  banks,  close  to 
gether,  forming  chevaux-de-frise  of  hooks  and  blades  of  steel. 
Also,  along  the  bottom  were  laid  thick  planks,  driven  full  of 
sharp  spikes,  whose  points  were  two  and  three  inches  high, 
and  were  intended  to  impale  the  feet  of  the  hardy  assailants 
who  might  dare  to  cross  the  ditch.  The  fort  itself  was  built 
entirely  of  sand,  the  only  wood  about  it  being  the  platforms 
and  gun-carriages  and  the  palmetto  logs  used  for  the  roofing 
of  the  bomb-proof.  It  has  been  declared  by  competent  mili 
tary  authority  to  have  been  almost  an  impregnable  earth 
work. 


FORT  WAGNER.  97 

I  am  happy  to  quote  the  following  additional  description 
of  it,  from  a  Confederate  authority  (General  Jones),  and 
especially  as  it  gives  what  is  believed  to  be  a  reliable  account 
of  its  armament  and  garrison  upon  that  fatal  day,  July  18, 
1863: 

"  BATTERY   WAGNER. 

"  Battery  Wagner  was  a  field-work,  made  of  sand  and  riveted  with 
turf  and  palmetto  logs.  It  extended  across  the  islands  from  the  beach 
on  the  east  to  Vincent's  Creek  on  the  west,  and  presented  towards  the 
south  a  bastioned  front  of  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-rive  yards. 
The  parapets  were  very  thick,  and  the  ditch  of  moderate  depth.  The 
space  within  the  work  was  from  east  to  west  about  two  hundred  yards, 
and  from  north  to  south  varied  from  twenty  to  seventy-five  yards.  On 
this  space  to  the  west  were  quarters  for  officers  and  men,  built  of 
wood,  bomb-proof,  capable  of  sheltering  from  eight  hundred  to  a 

thousand  men,  bomb-proof  magazines,  and  heavy  traverses. 

• 

"THE   ARMAMENT. 

"On  the  1 8th  of  July  the  armament  was  one  lo-inch  columbiad,one 
32-pounder  rifle,  one  42-pounder  and  two  32-pounder  carronades,  two 
naval  shell-guns  and  one  8-inch  sea-coast  howitzer,  four  smooth-bore 
32-pounders,  and  one  lo-inch  sea-coast  mortar — in  all  thirteen,  and  one 
light  battery.  Of  those  guns  only  the  single  lo-inch  columbiad  was 
of  much  effect  against  the  monitors.  The  Federal  land-batteries  were 
beyond  the  range  of  nearly  all  of  the  other  guns  in  Wagner. 

"THE   GARRISON    AT    BATTERY   WAGNER. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  i8th  the  infantry  of  the  garrison  consisted 
of  the  Thirty-first  North  Carolina,  Lieutenant-Colonel  C.  W.  Knight 
commanding ;  Fifty-first  North  Carolina,  Colonel  McKethen;  and  the 
Charleston  Battalion,  Lieutenant-Colonel  P.  C.  Gaillard.  The  artillery 
was  Captains  W,  T.  Tatam's  and  Warren  Adams'  companies  of  the 
First  South  Carolina  regular  infantry,  acting  as  artillery;  Captains  J. 
T.  Buckner's  and  W.  J.  Dixon's  companies  of  the  Sixty-third  Georgia 
Heavy  Artillery,  and  Captain  De  Pass'  Light  Battery — in  all  an  ag 
gregate  of  about  seventeen  hundred  men.  The  Charleston  Battalion 
and  Fifty-first  North  Carolina  were  assigned  to  the  defence  of  the 
parapet  in  the  order  named  from  the  right  along  the  south  front  to 
the  gun-chamber  opposite  the  door  of  the  bomb-proof,  which  was  on 
the  left  or  sea-front.  The  Thirty-first  North  Carolina  extended  along 
the  sea-face  from  the  left  of  the  Fifty-first  to  the  sally-port  towards 
7 


98  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

Battery  Gregg.     A  part  of  this  regiment  (the  Thirty-first)  was  held  in 
reserve  on  the  parade. 

"  OUTSIDE   THE   WORK. 

"Two  companies  of  the  Charleston  Battalion,  Captain  Julius  A. 
Blake  commanding,  were  outside  of  the  work  guarding  the  left  gorge 
and  sally-port.  Two  of  Captain  De  Pass'  field-pieces  were  also  outside 
of  the  work  on  the  traverse  near  the  sally-port.  Colonel  E.  B,  Harris, 
Chief  of  Engineers,  had  that  day  placed  a  howitzer  on  the  right  of  the 
sally-port,  outside  of  the  beach,  to  co-operate  with  the  guns  on  the 
left.  To  avoid  the  delay,  which  in  a  sudden  assault  might  prove  fatal, 
of  assembling  the  men  and  marching  them  in  military  order  to  their 
respective  posts,  every  man  was  instructed  individually  as  to  the  exact 
point  which  he  should  occupy,  and  which,  on  an  order  to  man  the 
parapets,  he  would  be  required  to  gain  and  hold.  All  of  the  artillery 
was  under  the  general  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  C.  Simkins, 
Chief  of  Artillery." 

It  was  in  the  second  and  great  attempt  to  carry  this  earth 
work  by  assault  on  the  night  of  July  18,  1863,  that  the 
Forty-eighth  Regiment  achieved  immortality.  There  is  a 
model  of  Fort  Wagner  prepared  under  the  direction  of  Gen 
eral  Gillmore  after  its  capture,  and  now  preserved  in  the 
museum  of  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  Colonel 
Wheeler,  Professor  of  Engineering,  uses  it  still  in  teaching 
his  classes  of  cadets.  As  an  earthwork  it  was  so  perfect, 
that  it  has  come  to  be. a  model.  That  model  is  harmless- 
looking  as  it  stands  in  the  museum  on  the  banks  of  the 
peaceful  Hudson,  but  the  real  Fort  Wagner  was  not  so :  it 
was  the  scene  of  the  deadliest  onslaught  of  the  war;  of  wild 
and  pitiless  carnage  and  blood  and  disaster,  a  scene  of  hate 
and  fury,  a  spot  which  resounded  with  curses  and  shrieks 
and  dying  groans,  a  sea-shore  along  which  to  this  day  little 
children  never  stroll  on  summer  evenings  to  gather  shells, 
because  of  the  ghastly  human  bones  which  every  wave  un 
earths  and  washes  up. 

It  was  on  that  strip  of  barren  sand  in  front  of  this  impreg 
nable  earthwork  that  we  found  ourselves  on  the  morning  of 
July  18,  1863.  We  had  been  now  for  eight  days  on  Morris 


FORT  WAGNER.  99 

Island.  Five  formidable  batteries  had  been  erected  by  our 
forces  across  the  island  in  our  front.  The  hour  was  ready 
for  the  great  bombardment,  and  early  in  the  morning  it  be 
gan.  Dahlgren  moved  his  monitors,  ironsides,  and  gun 
boats  close  up  to  the  fort,  and,  regardless  of  the  fire  both  of 
Sumter  and  Wagner,  all  day  long  poured  his  heavy  shells 
with  terrific  effect,  into  that  bank  of  sand.  The  ships  were 
the  new  Ironsides,  the  monitors  Montauk,  WecJiawken, 
Patapsco,  Nantucket,  and  Catskill,  and  the  gun-boats  Paul 
Jones,  Ottawa,  Seneca,  Chippewa,  and  Wissahickon,  with  six 
mortar-boats.  The  land-batteries  opened  fire  at  the  same 
time,  and  a  hundred  guns  (without  a  moment's  intermission 
through  the  day)  concentrated  their  fire  upon  Wagner. 
General  Beauregard's  report  says,  "  The  enemy's  firing  was 
very  rapid,  averaging  fourteen  shots  per  minute,  and  unpa 
ralleled  until  this  epoch  in  the  weight  of  projectiles  thrown." 
Within  eleven  hours,  more  than  9000  shell  were  hurled  at 
the  grim  fort.  It  was  a  magnificent  spectacle  as  we  wit 
nessed  it  from  the  sand-hills  on  Morris  Island.  No  one 
would  suppose  that  a  human  being,  or  a  bird  even,  could  live 
for  a  moment  upon  that  fort.  The  shells  struck  the  great 
banks,  exploded,  and  threw  the  sand  high  in  the  air.  They 
beat  the  banks  shapeless,  and  carried  away  nearly  sixteen 
feet  of  the  sand  covering  the  bomb-proof.  After  a  few  hours 
the  guns  were  silenced,  and  the  garrison  driven  back  to  their 
bomb-proofs  under  ground.  The  rebel  fire  from  Fort 
Sumter  was  kept  up,  however,  all  the  day. 

A  new  problem  in  the  science  of  war  was  destined  to  be 
solved  that  Saturday  on  Morris  Island.  It  had  been  de 
monstrated  at  Fort  Pulaski  that  walls  of  brick  could  not 
withstand  modern  projectiles  ;  would  banks  of  earth  and 
sand  successfully  resist  them?  That  was  the  crucial  test  of 
that  fiery  summer's  day.  The  armament  of  the  fort  was  of 
no  moment.  It  was  purely  a  question  of  passive  resistance, 
and  the  banks  of  sand  stood  the  test.  The  garrison  at  Fort 
Wagner  on  that  day  consisted  of  1700  men — the  Charleston 
battalion  on  the  right,  Fifty-first  North  Carolina  in  the  cen- 


IOO  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGlMENl,  N.   Y.  S. 

tre,  and  the  Thirty-first  North  Carolina,  in  the  great  south 
east  bastion  on  the  sea-front.  They  were  under  the  imme 
diate  command  of  General  William  B.  Taliaferro,  one  of 
*'  Stonewall  "  Jackson's  veterans.  We  are  fortunate  in  pos 
sessing  from  his  own  pen  a  graphic  account  of  that  day's 
battle,  written  and  viewed,  of  course,  from  his  standpoint. 
He  calls  the  bombardment  a  "  tempest  of  fire." 

"About  a  quarter  past  eight  in  the  morning  the  storm  broke :  ship 
after  ship  and  battery  after  battery,  and  then  apparently  all  together, 
vomited  forth  their  horrid  flame,  and  the  atmosphere  was  filled  with 
deadly  missiles.  It  is  impossible  for  any  pen  to  describe,  or  for  any 
one  who  was  not  an  eye-witness,  to  conceive  the  fatal  grandeur  of  the 
spectacle.  Within  the  narrow  limits  of  Wagner  the  sand  came  down 
in  avalanches.  Huge  vertical  shells  and  those  rolled  over  by  the  rico 
chet  shots  from  the  ships  buried  themselves  and  then  exploded,  rend 
ing  the  earth  and  forming  great  craters,  out  of  which  the  sand  and 
iron  fragments  flew  high  into  the  air.  It  was  a  fierce  sirocco  freighted 
with  iron  as  well  as  sand.  The  sand  flew  over  from  the  sea-shore 
from  the  glacis,  from  the  exterior  slope,  from  the  parapet,  as  it  was 
piled  up  and  lifted  and  driven  by  resistless  force,  now  in  spray  and 
now  almost  in  waves,  over  into  the  work,  the  men  sometimes  half- 
buried  by  the  moving  mass.  Our  chief  anxiety  was  about  the  maga 
zines.  The  profile  of  the  fort  might  be  destroyed,  the  ditch  filled  up, 
the  traverses  and  bomb-proof  barracks  knocked  out  of  shape,  but  the 
protecting  banks  of  sand  would  still  afford  their  shelter ;  but  if  the 
coverings  of  the  magazines  were  blown  away  and  they  became  ex 
posed,  the  explosion  which  would  ensue  would  lift  fort  and  garrison 
into  the  air  and  annihilate  all  in  general  chaos.  They  were  carefully 
watched,  and  reports  of  their  condition  made  at  short  intervals.  .  .  . 
The  day  wore  on :  thousands  upon  thousands  of  shells  and  round- 
shot,  shells  loaded  with  balls,  shells  of  gun's  and  shells  of  mortars, 
percussion-shells  exploding  upon  impact,  shells  with  graded  fuses, 
every  contrivance  known  to  the  arsenals  of  war,  leaped  into  and  around 
the  doomed  fort ;  yet  there  was  no  cessation.  The  sun  seemed  to 
stand  still,  and  the  long  midsummer  day  to  know  no  night.  Some 
men  were  dead,  and  no  scratch  appeared  on  their  bodies:  the  concus 
sion  had  forced  the  breath  from  their  lungs,  and  collapsed  them  into 
corpses.  .  .  .  The  commanding  officer  was  buried  knee-deep  in  sand, 
and  had  to  be  rescued  by  spades  from  his  imprisonment.  The  day 
wore  on  ;  hours  followed,  hours  of  anxiety  and  grim  endurance,  but  no 
respite  ensued.  At  last  night  came — not,  however,  to  herald  a  cessation 


FORT  WAGNER.  IOI 

of  the  strife,  but  to  usher  in  a  conflict  still  more  terrible.  More  than 
eleven  hours  had  passed  :  the  fort  was  torn  and  mutilated  ;  to  the 
outside  observer  it  was  apparently  powerless,  knocked  to  pieces  and 
pounded  out  of  shape,  the  outline  changed,  the  exterior  slope  full  of 
gaping  wounds,  the  ditch  half  filled  up;  but  the  interior  still  preserved 
its  form  and  its  integrity.  Scarred  and  defaced,  it  was  yet  a  citadel, 
which  although  not  offensive  was  defiant,  It  was  nearly  eight  o'clock 
at  night,  but  still  twilight,  when  a  calm  came,  and  the  blazing  circle 
ceased  to  glow  with  flame.  The  ominous  pause  was  understood  :  it  re 
quired  no  signals  to  be  read  by  those  to  whom  they  were  not  directed 
to  inform  them  that  the  supreme  moment  was  now  at  hand  :  it 
meant — ASSAULT." 

And  it  did  mean  assault — the  most  terrible  and  the  most 
fatal  in  all  the  history  of  modern  warfare,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  famous  charge  at  Balaklava.  "  Strong's 
fighting  brigade"  were  in  advance:  less  than  a  month  be 
fore,  the  regiments  which  composed  it  had  been  selected  for 
this  very  work.  Already  they  had  won  a  fine  fame  by  their 
dashing  victory  on  the  morning  of  July  roth  and  the  im 
petuous  assault  on  the  morning  of  the  nth,  and  they  had 
come  to  possess  an  enthusiastic  affection  for  the  young  and 
gallant  commander,  who  did  not  drive  them  into  battle,  but 
led  them.  Their  career  was  brief,  for  on  this  night  it  passed 
into  final  eclipse.  Putnam's  brigade  was  in  support.  Ste- 
phenson's  followed  Putnam's.  As  the  day  wore  on,  the  ru 
mor  ran  round  that  we  were  to  make  a  grand  charge  just 
before  nightfall,  and  carry  that  heap  of  defiant  sand  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet.  We  ate  a  hearty  supper  that  night 
(it  was  the  last  meal  many  a  brave  fellow  ever  needed) ; 
each  man  received  a  ration  of  whiskey,  and  the  regiments 
were  ordered  to  "  fall  in."  They  did  so  quickly,  noiselessly, 
and  without  confusion,  and  formed — a  mile  of  men  in  column 
by  company — on  the  beach.  The  fire  from  the  batteries 
and  the  ships  redoubled  its  fury  as  the  columns  were  ga 
thering  for  assault.  Aids  and  orderlies  rode  up  and  down, 
giving  rapid  orders.  General  Trumfen  Seymour  was  in  com 
mand  of  the  entire  assaulting  column  ;  General  Strong  led 
his  own  brigade.  Two  things  now  happened — the  one  of 


fO2        ^^FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N,   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

them  contingent  on  the  other — which  had  a  fatal  effect.  The 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts,  a  brave  regiment  of  colored 
troops,  commanded  by  Colonel  Robert  G.  Shaw,  was  sent  to 
the  front.  The  purpose  possibly  was,  that  if  glory  should 
be  won  in  that  assault,  they  should  share  it.  Political  con 
siderations  too  often  outweighed  military  ones  in  the  war. 
(The  same  thing  happened  again,  and  with  more  fatal  conse 
quences,  at  the  explosion  of  the  Petersburg  mine  a  year 
afterward.)  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  a  spectacle  in  his 
tory  for  negro  soldiers  to  hftive  led  the  assault  that  captured 
the  redoubtable  bank  of  Fort  Wagner  and  put  the  rebel 
city  of  Charleston  at  the  mercy  of  the  Union  arms.  At  any 
rate  they  were  assigned  to  Strong's  brigade  for  the  occasion, 
and  marched  past  us  to  the  front.  That  would  not  have 
been  such  a  catastrophe  (for  the  regiment  acquitted  itself 
with  the  greatest  valor),  but  precious  moments  of  time  were 
lost.  Before  the  assaulting  columns  were  finally  formed,  a 
storm  also  rose  in  the  sky,  and  it  grew  dark  suddenly.  It 
was  that  loss  of  priceless  moments  and  the  coming  on  of  the 
night  which  saved  the  rebel  garrison  in  Fort  Wagner  from 
being  swept  into  the  sea.  Who  will  not  recall  his  sensa 
tions  as  he  stood  in  his  place  in  the  ranks,  as  the  night  set 
tled  down  upon  us  and  we  began  to  realize  the  fearfulness 
of  the  assault  we  were  about  to  attempt.  To  many  a  gal 
lant  fellow  those  moments  were  the  last  of  earth. 

Before  us  lay  the  approach  to  the  fort — a  gradual  ascent, 
1350  yards  in  distance,  which  had  been  smooth  as  a  floor 
before  the  bombardment.  Then  you  came  to  the  moat, 
filled  that  night  waist-deep  with  water;  then  a  great  bank — • 
the  exterior  slope — twenty-five  feet  in  height  rose  before 
you.  Behind  that,  at  the  point  where  we  struck  it  (the 
sea-face  bastion),  was  a  terre-plein  some  fifty  feet  across,  con 
taining  guns  and  magazines;  then  in  the  rear  of  that  the 
superior  slope,  nearly  as  high  as  the  other  ;  and  underneath 
it  all  lines  of  underground  bomb-proofs,  roofed  with  pal 
metto-logs  and  sand-bags,  where  the  garrison  was  hidden  in 
security  throughout  the  bombardment. 


FORT  WAGNER.  1 03 

Historical  writers  have  insisted  that  there  was  but  one 
assault  made  on  that  fatal  night :  in  fact  there  were  three. 
Technically  speaking,  it  may  be  considered  one  general  as 
sault,  but  it  was  made  by  three  distinct  columns,  at  three 
separate  moments,  with  decided  intervals  between  them,  and 
directed  against  two  different  angles  of  the  fort. 

The  writer  desires  to  call  especial  attention  to  this  fact, 
for  only  by  bearing  it  in  mind  can  the  student  of  this  brief 
but  sanguinary  battle  comprehend  it. 

The  first  assault  was  made  by  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachu 
setts,  against   the  curtain  of  the  fort  on  the   left :  it  failed. 
The  second   assault  was  made  by   Strong's  "  fighting  brig 
ade,"  against  the  sea-face  bastion  in  our  front  :  it  succeeded. 
The  third  assault  was   made  by  Putnam's  brigade  in  sup- 


FORT  WAGNER  AT  POINT  OF  FIRST  ASSAULT. 

port:  it  failed,  and  therefore  finally  it  all  failed  ;  and  the  only 
success  of  that  fiery  hour  was  the  triumph  of  those  heroic 
spirits  who  died  that  night  on  those  ensanguined  sands  by 
the  side  of  the  sea,  that  the  American  Republic  might  not 
perish  from  off  the  earth. 

In  the  sense  in  which  it  was  all  one  general  assault, 
Colonel  Shaw's  colored  regiment  did  lead  it ;  but  in  fact  the 
charge  which  they  made  was  distinct,  preceding  the  others, 
was  in  different  formation,  and  directed  against  a  different 
point.  At  the  command  of  General  Strong,  the  Fifty-fourth 
Massachusetts  moved  forward, — formed  in  column  of  wings, 
—the  right  resting  on  the  sea.  They  obliqued  to  the  left, 
and  attacked  the  curtain  at  the  lai^d-face  of  Battery  Wag 
ner  (not  the  sea-face  salient,  which  we  subsequently  car 
ried).  They  went  forward  to'  that  charge  650  strong,  com- 


104  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS.   ' 

manded  throughout  by  white  officers.  Colonel  Shaw's  last 
word  to  the  major  commanding  the  left  wing  of  his  regi 
ment  as  he  went  to  the  front  was,  "  We  shall  take  the  fort 
or  die  there  ;  good-by."  I  would  not  disparage  the  brave 
rush  of  that  colored  regiment  to  death.  It  has,  however, 
received  not  undue  but  disproportionate  attention  from 
historians.  They  ran  forward  at  the  "  double-quick,"  with  a 
magnificent  courage  ;  we  still  remaining  where  we  were, 
standing  in  column  on  the  beach.  As  they  approached  the 
ditch  they  met  a  withering  fire :  the  garrison  outnumbered 
them  two  to  one.  The  rebels  had  exhumed  their  buried  can 
non  and  remounted  them,  and  were  at  their  posts  behind  the 
parapets,  defiant  as  ever.  Before  that  fire  of  grape  and 
shrapnel  and  musketry  the  intrepid  regiment  of  black  men 
broke  :  a  few  of  them  followed  their  brave  Colonel  through 
the  ditch  and  up  the  bank  behind  it,  and  planted  their  flag^ 
in  the  most  gallant  manner  upon  the  ramparts:  there 
Colonel  Shaw  was  shot  through  the  heart,  and  fell  back  dead 
in  the  ditch ;  many  of  his  brave  colored  soldiers  died  by  his 
side,  but  others  were  seized  with  a  furious  panic,  and  fled  to 
the  rear  in  dismay. 

During  their  assault  and  at  the  moment  of  their  re 
pulse  Strong's  "fighting  brigade"  was  still  standing  —  in 
column  by  company — upon  the  beach,  awaiting  the  com 
mand  to  go  forward.  Putnam's  brigade  was  also  formed 
in  their  rear.  In  number  they  were  about  four  thousand  ; 
in  discipline  and  drill  they  were  the  finest  soldiers  of  the 
volunteer  armies,  for  they  had  been  two  years  in  training  ; 
in  spirit  they  were  the  choicest  youth  of  the  Republic,  for 
they  had  rushed  to  arms  at  her  first  call  for  help.  There 
they  stood  as  night  settled  down  upon  them — a  mile  of  men 
massed  in  solid  column  in  the  gathering  gloom  ;  their  faces 
were  blanched,  for  they  knew  now  that  Fort  Wagner  was  not 
evacuated  nor  disabled  by  the  bombardment,  and  that  its 
garrison — standing  behind  embankments  which,  "  if  no  lon 
ger  offensive,  were  still  defiant  " — was  ready  to  give  them 
also  a  more  deadly  reception.  It  may  be  doubted  if  any 


FORT  WAGNER. 


105 


man  who  never  has  known  the  experience  of  a  moment  like 
that  can  conceive  it.  With  blanched  cheeks  indeed,  but 
with  undaunted  hearts  in  face  of  imminent  death,  they  de 
termined  that  night  to  do  their  duty.  The  Sixth  Connecti 
cut  was  in  advance  ;  the  Forty-eighth  New  York  was  next — 
just  at  that  fatal  point  in  the  column,  as  it  proved,  where  the 
direct  fire  and  the  enfilade  would  focus.  The  Third  New 
Hampshire,  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania,  and  Ninth  Maine 
followed.  Suddenly  the  voice  of  General  Strong  rang  clear 
as  he  shouted  the  command,  "  Column,  forward  !  double- 
quick  march !"  and  forward  on  the  full  run  they  rushed. 
The  earth  shook  beneath  their  tread;  the  storm  lulled,  the 
very  sea  beside  them  seemed  to  grow  quiet  ;  the  cannon- 


FORT  WAGNER — SEA-FACE  BASTION,  POINT  OF  SECOND  AND  THIRD- 
ASSAULTS. 

firing  of  all  the  batteries  and  from  all  the  ships  suddenly 
ceased  ;  grim  and  formidable  the  banks  of  Wagner  lay 
before  them  ;  and  there  was  silence  everywhere,  except 
that  Sumter  kept  up  her  fire  incessantly,  and  the  "  tramp," 
"  tramp,"  "  tramp,"  of  the  onrushing  column,  and  by  their 
side  the  gentle  swash  of  the  sea. 

When  we  had  gone  twelve  hundred  yards  and  the  head  of 
the  column  was  almost  to  the  ditch,  suddenly  the  parapets 
were  alive  with  men  :  they  "  yelled  ;"  they  fired  all  their 
muskets  and  their  cannon  straight  in  our  faces.  It  was  as 
if  the  deepest  pit  of  hell  had  vomited  its  hottest  fires  upon 
you.  It  was  as  light  as  day,  and  that  noble  column  reeled 
and  swayed  and  fell,  shot  through  with  grape  and  canister 
and  shrapnel — the  deadliest  missiles  of  cruel  war:  these 


I06  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

•crushed  their  way  through  the  bared  breasts  of  that  daunt 
less  column  of  loyal  blue,  and  levelled  it  to  the  earth.  Oh, 
it  was  pitiful !  The  air  was  on  fire  everywhere,  and  the  fire 
seemed  to  have  voices  that  now  moaned  and  now  cheered, 
and  now  cried  with  pain ;  the  deadly  volleys  followed 
each  other  faster  than  I  can  write  of  them  ;  the  dead  and 
dying  were  piled  in  heaps,  heroic,  far  up  that  fatal  slope  ;  the 
sea  moaned,  the  thunder  muttered  in  the  sky.  It  grew  dark 
suddenly,  and  only  the  eye  of  God  saw  the  survivors  of  that 
shattered  column  pushing  on  toward  the  fort.  Here  was 
one,  yonder  another,  ten  steps  away  a  third — all  that  were 
left  standing  of  the  solid  columns  that  had  melted  away  in 
the  fires;  but  they  did  not  halt,  did  not  retreat — they  pressed 
on.  Those  in  the  rear  followed  them,  trampling  down  their 
dead  and  dying  comrades,  stumbling  over  wire  entangle 
ments  as  they  rushed  in  the  dark  towards  the  fort.  We 
struck  the  bank  at  its  highest  point,  at  what  was  called  the 
southeast  bastion.  The  Thirty-first  North  Carolina  defend 
ed  that  position  ;  they  have  been  falsely  accused  by  the 
Confederate  commanders  of  cowardice.  Beauregard  claims 
that  they  "  disgracefully  abandoned  their  position  ;"  General 
Taliaferro,  that  "  the  southeast  bastion  was  weakly  defend 
ed."  It  is  a  cruel  and  unjust  accusation.  They  stood  to 
their  guns  as  long  as  they  could.  The  reader  will  discover 
another  reason  for  their  panic  and  retreat:  the  "fighting 
brigade"  was-  irresistible.  It  reached  the  moat,  crossed  it. 
Many  fell  there  under  the  terrible  enfilades ;  others  im 
paled  their  feet  on  spikes  and  blades  of  steel  ;  but  the  rest 
climbed  up  that  first  bank,  and  step  by  step,  with  swords 
drawn  and  bayonets  fixed,  without  the  firing  of  a  single 
:shot,  without  the  speaking  of  a  single  word,  drove  the 
enemy  back,  captured  their  guns,  their  magazine,  followed 
them  as  they  fled  in  terror  across  the  tcrre-plein,  drove  them 
over  the  "  superior  slope  ;"  and  at  last  a  mere  handful  of 
them,  but  all  that  remained  of  the  "  fighting  brigade,"  stood 
triumphant  upon  the  rebel  parapets,  and  the  strongest  bas 
tion  of  Fort  Wagner  was  taken.  Then  there  rang  a  great 


FORT  WAGNER.  IO? 

shout  of  victory  over  the  sea,  but  it  was  lost  in  the  shrieks 
of  pain  that  followed  it  around  the  world. 

History  has  never  been  just  to  that  assault;  it  has  writ 
ten  it  down  a  failure,  and  insisted  that  it  was  repulsed.  It 
is  a  remarkable  fact  that  only  the  Confederate  writers  have 
acknowledged  that  Strong's  brigade,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
DID  CARRY  THE  STRONGEST  BASTION  OF  THE  FORT,  AND 
HELD  IT  FOR  MORE  THAN  THREE  HOURS. 

What  did  the  enemy  think  of  us  as  we  rushed  towards 
them  that  night  ?  Let  me  quote  again  from  the  narrative 
of  General  Taliaferro  : 

"THE   GRAND    ASSAULT. 

"A  dark  mass  of  the  enemy's  columns,  brigade  after  brigade,  were 
seen  in  the  fading  twilight  to  approach.  Line  after  line  was  formed' 
and  then  came  the  rush.  Orders  were  given  to  Gaillard  to  hold  his 
fire  and  deliver  no  direct  shot.  As  the  assaulting  columns  came  on 
they  were  met  by  the  withering  volleys  of  McKethan's  direct  and  Gail- 
lard's  cross  fire,  and  by  the  direct  discharge  of  the  shell-guns,  supple 
mented  by  the  frightful  enfilading  discharges  of  the  lighter  guns  upon 
the  right  and  left.  It  was  terrible ;  but  with  an  iinsurpassed  gallantry 
the  Federal  soldiers- breasted  the  storm  and  rushed  onward  to  the  glacis. 
The  Confederates,  with  the  tenacity  of  bull-dogs  and  a  fierce  courage 
which  was  aroused  to  madness  by  the  frightful  inaction  to  which  they 
had  been  subjected,  poured  from  the  ramparts  and  embrasures  sheets 
of  flame  and  a  tempest  of  lead  and  iron  ;  yet  their  intrepid  assailants 
rushed  on  like  the  waves  of  the  sea  by  whose  shore  they  fought ;  they 
fell  by  hundreds,  but  they  pushed  on,  reeling  under  the  frightful  blasts 
that  almost  blew  them  to  pieces,  up  to  the  Confederate  bayonets.  The 
southeast  bastion  was  weakly  defended  (?),  and  into  it  a  considerable 
body  of  the  enemy  made  their  way.  .  .  .  But  they  left  near  a  thousand 
dead  around  the  fort." 

The  above  tribute  from  the  pen  of  the  Confederate  Gen 
eral  who  commanded  Battery  Wagner  that  night  to  the 
courage  of  the  undaunted  men  who  faced  his  deadly  fire  is 
the  tribute  of  a  brave  man  to  brave  men.  The  assaulting 
columns  everywhere  else  but  at  that  single  point,  where  the 
"  righting  brigade"  won  its  renown,  were  beaten  back  and 
retreated.  The  men  who  had  succeeded  in  capturing  the 
sea-face  bastion  were  the  survivors  of  the  Sixth  Connecticut 


108  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

and  Forty-eighth  New  York  (the  two  regiments  that  had 
led  the  column),  and  a  handful  of  brave  fellows  from  other 
regiments  who  had  had  the  courage  to  join  them.  The 
losses  had  been  terrible :  Beauregard  estimates  them  at 
three  thousand.  I  have  been  unable  to  find  a  detailed  re 
port  from  any  Federal  authority  of  the  casualties  ;  the  most 
moderate  authorities  estimate  them  as  about  two  thousand 
men.  I  quote  once  more  from  the  narrative  of  the  Confed 
erate  General  Jones,  in  order  that  the  reader  may  see  this 
great  assault  from  every  side.  His  estimate  of  the  losses  is 
believed  to  be  unexaggerated.  The  account  now  quoted  be 
gins  at  the  time  when  we  started  upon  the  assault. 

"  Half  the  ground  to  be  traversed  before  reaching  Wagner  was  un 
dulating  with  sand-hills,  which  afforded  some  shelter,  but  not  so  much 
as  to  prevent  free  and  easy  movement ;  the  other  half  smooth  and  unob 
structed  up  to  the  ditch.  Within  easy  range  of  Wagner  the  marsh  en 
croached  so  much  on  the  firm  sand  of  the  island  as  to  leave  but  a 
narrow  way  between  it  and  the  water.  A  few  stirring  words  were  ad 
dressed  by  the  officers  to  their  troops,  and  the  men  responded  with 
cheers. 

"THE   ASSAULT. 

"  About  half-past  seven  the  assaulting  column  was  hurled  against 
Wagner,  with  orders  to  use  the  bayonet  only,  the  Federal  artillery 
continuing  their  fire  over  their  heads  as  long  as  it  could  be  done  with 
out  risk  to  their  own  men.  The  Confederates  at  their  posts  were 
straining  their  eyes  to  catch  through  the  deepening  twilight  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  enemy.  When  the  head  of  the  column  came  in  view, 
a  rapid  fire  of  grape  and  canister  was  opened,  the  fire  from  James 
Island  batteries  was  poured  in  on  the  flank.  Sumter  and  Gregg,  fir 
ing  over  Wagner,  plunged  their  shot  into  the  advancing  column  and 
the  parapets  of  Wagner  were  lit  up  by  a  line  of  infantry  fire. 

"  A    HARD   TASK    IN    HAND. 

"  The  advancing  column  pressed  defiantly  forward,  breasting  the 
storm  of  iron  and  lead  which  was  rapidly  thinning  their  ranks.  The 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  broke  and  fled,  large  bodies  of  it  falling 
upon  and  with  violence  forcing  their  way  through  the  ranks  of  the 
advancing  column,  greatly  heightening  the  general  confusion. 

"The  storm  of  fire  from  Wagner  had  strewn  the  ditch  and  glacis 
with  killed  and  wounded.  A  few  of  the  bravest  of  the  different  regi- 


FORT  WAGNER.  1 09 

ments,  notably  the  Forty-eighth  New  York  and  Sixth  Connecticut,  con 
tinued  to  press  forward,  bearing  their  colors  and  striving  to  reach  the 
ditch  and  mount  the  parapet ;  but  the  brigade  had  been  hopelessly  re 
pulsed  ;  its  gallant  commander,  General  Strong,  was  mortally  wounded, 
as  was  Colonel  Chatfield.  Colonel  Shaw  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massa 
chusetts  was  killed,  and  many  other  officers  killed  and  wounded.  So 
heavy  was  the  fire  and  so  great  the  disorder,  that  General  Seymour 
saw  the  necessity  of  immediate  support  and  accordingly  dispatched 
his  Assistant  Inspector-General,  Major  Plympton  of  the  Third  New 
Hampshire,  to  order  up  Colonel  Putnam  with  his  supporting  brigade. 
To  his  amazement  Colonel  Putnam  positively  refused  to  advance,  be 
cause,  as  he  explained,  he  had  been  ordered  by  General  Gillmore  to 
remain  where  he  was. 

"THE    FIRST    BRIGADE   IN    CONFUSION. 

"  In  the  mean  time  the  First  Brigade  was  urged  on  with  admirable 
spirit  and  gallantry  by  General  Strong,  who  had  been  assured  of 
prompt  support.  But  the  destructive  fire  from  Wagner  was  more 
than  his  men  could  stand. 

"PUTNAM'S  CONDUCT. 

"  What  were  Colonel's  Putnam's  feelings  in  the  mean  time  perhaps 
will  never  be  known,  but  may  with  much  certainty  be  conjectured. 
He  was  a  gallant  young  officer,  and  could  not  stand  idly  by  at  the  head 
of  a  fine  brigade  and  see  the  command  of  his  classmates  and  intimate 
friends  cut  to  pieces.  '  After  a  disastrous  delay  and  without  orders,' 
says  General  Seymour,  '  he  led  his  brigade  forward  and  pressed  on  to 
the  assault  of  the  southeast  angle  through  a  destructive  fire.' 

"AN   UNGUARDED    BASTION. 

"  It  seems  that  the  terrible  bombardment  of  eleven  hours  had  demor 
alized  the  Thirty-first  North  Carolina  Regiment.  It  did  not  respond 
to  the  call  to  man  the  ramparts :  the  southeast  bastion  and  sea- 
front,  to  the  defence  of  which  it  had  been  assigned,  was  therefore 
unguarded.  Colonel  Putnam  and  a  part  of  his  brigade  crossed  the 
ditch,  which  had  been  nearly  filled  with  sand  by  the  long  bombard 
ment,  mounted  the  parapet  and  a  hundred  or  more  men  gained  pos 
session  of  the  southeast  bastion." 

This  mistake  of  attributing  to  Colonel  Putnam's  brigade 
the  capture  of  the  bastion,  General  Jones,  in  a  private  letter 
to  the  writer,  says  that  he  was  led  to  make  by  the  report  of 


IIO  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

General  Seymour.  The  fact  was  that  STRONG'S  BRIGADE  took 
the  bastion,  and  although  Putnam  died  within  it,  gallantly 
coming  to  its  relief,  one  regiment  of  his  brigade — by  the  mis 
taken  volley  elsewhere  described — was  the  unhappy  cause  of 
its  final  loss. 

The  account  continues  : 

"Seeing  the  advantage  gained  by  Colonel  Putnam,  General  Seymour 
had  just  dispatched  an  order  by  Major  Plympton  to  General  Steven 
son  to  advance  with  his  brigade  to  Colonel  Putnam's  support  when  he 
too  was  severely  wounded.  Before  he  was  carried  from  the  field  he 
repeated  the  order  to  General  Stevenson  to  advance,  but  the  order 
was  not  obeyed — why,  does  not  appear. 

"  THE   CONFEDERATE   LOSS. 

"  The  Confederate  loss  was  only  one  hundred  and  seventy-four — 
surprisingly  small,  thanks  to  the  sheltering  capacity  of  sand-works.  The 
loss  on  both  sides  had  been  unusually  heavyin  commissioned  officers. 
Among  the  Confederate  killed  were  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  C.  Simkins, 
First  South  Carolina  Infantry  ;  Captain  W.  H.  Ryan  of  the  Charles 
ton  battalion ;  Captain  W.  T.  Tatem,  First  South  Carolina  Infan 
try  ;  and  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Thompson,  commanding  company  Fifty- 
first  North  Carolina.  Major  David  Ramsay  of  the  Charleston  bat 
talion  was  severely  wounded.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Simkins,  as  Chief 
of  Artillery,  had  directed  the  operations  of  that  arm  with  admirable 
skill  and  daring,  and  when  the  assault  commenced  mounted  the  para 
pet  to  aid  and  encourage  the  infantry.  '  There,  on  the  ramparts  in  the 
front,  this  admirable  soldier  and  accomplished  gentleman  sealed  his 
devotion  to  our  cause  by  an  early  but  most  heroic  death.' 

"THE   UNION    LOSS. 

"  The  Federal  loss  has  not  yet  been  officially  ascertained.  General 
Taliaferro  estimated  it  at  not  less  than  two  thousand — perhaps  much 
more.  General  Beauregard  in  his  official  report  says  their  loss  must 
have  been  three  thousand,  as  eight  hundred  bodies  were  interred  in 
front  of  Battery  Wagner  on  the  following  morning. 

"  In  a  letter  of  the  2oth  to  Admiral  Dahlgren  General  Gillmore  tells 
him  that  during  the  ten  days  from  the  beginning  of  his  operations  he 
had  lost  thirty-three  per  cent  of  his  troops  in  killed,  wounded,  miss 
ing,  and  sick.  He  had  commenced  with  somewhat  more  than  thirteen 
thousand  on  Morris  and  Folly  Islands,  and  his  tri-monthly  report  for 
the  2oth  of  July  shows  an  aggregate  sick  on  those  two  islands  of  twelve 


FORT  WAGNER.  Ill 

hundred  and  forty-one.     It  would  seem  therefore  that  General  Beau- 
regard's  estimate  was  not  excessive." 

The  defence  of  Fort  Wagner  was  signalized  by  a  courage 
that  was  equal  and  a  military  skill  that  was  superior  to  the 
assault.  General  Seymour  was  wounded.  General  Gillmore 
seems  to  have  been  too  far  to  the  rear  to  have  brought 
forward  reinforcements  promptly,  and  the  brave  General 
Strong  did  his  best  to  bring  other  regiments  in  support  of 
the  Sixth  Connecticut  and  Forty-eighth  New  York  to  hold 
the  salient  they  had  taken,  but  so  terrible  had  been  the 
slaughter  that  no  one  would  heed  him ;  finally  he  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  a  battalion  composed  of  what  remained 
of  the  immortal  Seventh  Connecticut,  and  to  them  he  made 
his  last  appeal.  Here  Strong  fell,  mortally  wounded,  before 
he  could  come  to  our  relief,  and  the  command  of  the  column 
passed  rapidly  from  one  to  another,  until  every  Federal 
Colonel  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  present  at  the  front  had 
fallen  ;  and  when  it  finally  broke,  the  ranking  officer  of  the 
brigade  was  Major  Plympton  of  the  Third  New  Hampshire, 
who  led  part  of  its  shattered  fragments  back  into  the  gather 
ing  gloom. 

The  Second  Brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  Putnam 
of  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire,  did  their  best  to  rein 
force  us  in  the  fort,  making  a  furious  charge :  but  there 
had  been  unfortunate  delays ;  it  was  now  pitch-dark,  and 
they  were  beaten  back  by  the  enfilades.  Colonel  Putnam 
himself  was  killed,  just  as  he  reached  the  fort ;  his  regiment, 
the  Seventh  New  Hampshire,  distinguished  itself. 

It  was  late  in  the  night  when  the  last  shattered  regiments 
finally  recoiled  under  the  terrible  fire  ;  their  retreat  was  one  of 
unspeakable  horror.  From  the  ramparts  behind  them  a  mur 
derous  fire  of  grape  and  canister  followed  them  on  their  way 
back  to  the  Union  lines.  Men  fell  by  scores  on  the  parapets 
and  rolled  back  into  the  ditch  ;  many  were  drowned  in  the 
water,  and  others  smothered  by  their  own  dead  or  wounded 
companions  falling  upon  them  ;  some  dragged  themselves  to 


112  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S. 

the  rear  on  their  hands  and  knees  through  the  sand.  Per 
haps  in  all  the  history  of  our  war  a  more  ghastly  scene  was 
never  witnessed  than  that  on  the  beach  and  glacis  of  Fort 
Wagner  that  night,  where,  piled  on  one  another  in  ditches, 
with  bleeding  wounds,  parched  with  thirst,  writhing  in  pain, 
still  under  the  terrible  fires  of  batteries  that  were  not  silenced, 
and  lying  in  ridges  where  the  enfilade  had  ploughed  them 
down,  more  than  a  thousand  Union  soldiers  awaited  the 
coming  of  the  day.  The  Confederates  claim  to  have  buried 
next  morning  eight  hundred  dead  upon  the  ocean  beach. 
Among  the  killed  were  Colonels  Putnam  of  the  Seventh 
New  Hampshire  and  Shaw  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachu 
setts,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  M.  Green  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  New  York.  Among  the  mortally  wounded  were 
Brigadier-General  George  C.  Strong,  the  commander  of  the 
"fighting  brigade,"  and  Colonel  Chatfield  of  the  Sixth  Con 
necticut.  Among  the  seriously  wounded  were  General  Sey 
mour,  Colonels  Barton  (Forty-eighth  New  York),  Jackson, 
and  Emery.  But  these  are  only  the  names  of  the  more 
prominent  general  and  field  officers.  In  the  Forty-eighth, 
in  addition  to  Colonel  Barton  (he  was  severely  wounded  in 
the  thigh)  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Green  (he  was  shot  dead 
inside  the  fort  on  the  "  superior  slope"),  Captains  Farrell 
and  Hurst  and  Lieutenant  Edwards  were  killed,  and  Captain 
Paxson  and  Lieutenant  Fox  mortally  wounded  ;  Captains 
Lockwood,  Elfwing,  Swartwout,  and  Coan,  and  Lieutenants 
Miller,  Barrett,  Taylor,  and  Acker,  were  wounded.  The 
Forty-eighth  went  into  that  assault  with  eight  companies 
and  nearly  five  hundred  men,  and  with  sixteen  officers.  The 
next  morning  but  eighty-six  men  answered  to  the  roll-call. 
Fifteen  of  the  sixteen  officers  were  killed  or  wounded.  Such 
mortality  was  unparalleled  in  the  war.  It  was  a  very  deluge 
1  of  death  through  which  those  immortal  columns  had  tried 
to  fight  their  way  to  victory  ;  and  they  did  it. 

For  now  it  remains  for  me  to  record  a  hitherto  unwritten 
chapter  of  history.  A  mere  chronicler  of  the  deeds  of  a  sin 
gle  regiment,  and  not  a  professional  military  historian,  might 


FORT    WAGNER.  . 

be  deemed  presumptuous  to  pretend  to  contribute  new  facts 
to  history  ;  but  it  is  as  true  as  lamentable,  that  no  one  has  yet 
attempted  to  write  with  any  fulness  the  history  of  the  assault 
on  Fort  Wagner.  Fragmentary  records  of  the  deeds  of  cer 
tain  regiments  have  been  published,  but  the  career  of  our 
armies  in  the  whole  Department  of  the  South  yet  awaits  a 
competent  historian.  The  confusion  of  that  night  assault  was- 
so  great,  the  final  disaster  so  overwhelming,  the  chief  partici 
pants  all  dead  or  disabled,  the  only  persons  capable  of  tell 
ing  the  entire  story  captured,  marched  away  to  rebel  prisons, 
and  destined  not  to  return  for  months  and  years,  and  the 
general-in-chief  of  the  command  seemingly  ignorant  to  this 
day  of  what  actually  transpired  on  the  parapets  of  Wagner  in 
the  darkness  of  that  awful  night — these  may  be  the  causes 
why  this  history  has  remained  unwritten  ;  but  that  it  should 
be  reserved  for  Confederate  military  writers  to  first  acknowl 
edge  a  deed  of  unexampled  valor  by  Federal  soldiers  nine 
teen  years  after  its  occurrence,  is  certainly  noteworthy.  My 
authorities  for  the  remarkable  narrative  I  am  now  about  to 
relate  are  the  Confederate  General  Taliaferro,  the  memories 
of  my  comrades,  and  my  own. 

The  reader  who  would  understand  the  precise  situation 
must  keep  clear  the  distinction  between  the  three  separate 
assaults.  The  first  (that  of  Colonel  Shaw's  Fifty-fourth 
Massachusetts),  against  the  curtain  on  the  land-face  of  Bat 
tery  Wagner,  had  failed  within  ten  minutes  after  it  began. 
The  second  assault,  made  chiefly  by  the  two  leading  regi 
ments  of  Strong's  brigade, — the  Sixth  Connecticut  and  the 
Forty-eighth  New  York, — not  moving  in  column  of  wings  as 
the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  did,  but  in  column  by  com 
pany  at  close  order,  and  directed  not  against  the  curtain  of 
the  fort,  but  straight  against  its  most,  precipitate  parapets  on 
the  sea-face,  did  not  fail,  but  succeeded.  Strong's  "  fighting 
brigade"  perished  that  night,  but  it  was  not  beaten.  Its 
object  was  the  capture  of  that  sea-face  bastion  against  which 
it  was  hurled ;  and  it  took  that  bastion,  every  inch  of  it,  in  a 
hand-to-hand  encounter  with  the  Thirty-first  North  Carolina, 
8 


114  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

whom  it  drove  from  their  positions  step  by  step,  and  gained 
possession  of  the  entire  salient.  The  writer  estimates  (in 
round  figures)  that  as  many  as  seven  or  eight  hundred 
men  succeeded  in  forcing  their  way  into  that  bastion, 
while  it  was  in  our  possession ;  that  four  or  five  hundred  fell 
there ;  that  one  or  two  hundred  succeeded  in  making  their 
'escape  back  to  the  Union  lines  after  they  became  convinced 
of  the  folly  of  longer  attempting  to  hold  it ;  and  it  is  known 
that  one  hundred  and  forty  men,  who  persisted  in  holding 
what  they  had  taken  at  such  terrible  cost,  were,  after  between 
three  and  four  hours  of  most  desperate  fighting,  finally  over 
whelmed  and  taken  prisoners.  But  from  shortly  after  eight 
o'clock  at  night  until  twelve  o'clock  midnight  they  succeeded 
in  defending  the  fortifications  they  had  taken,  despite  re 
peated  assaults  of  the  enemy.  They  were  cut  down  also 
by  a  most  fearful  volley  from  a  regiment  of  their  own  men 
when  Putman's  brigade  made  the  assault  in  their  support.  It 
was  a  mistake,  of  course,  growing  out  of  the  dreadful  con 
fusion  that  existed  everywhere,  and  possible  only,  I  suppose, 
because  of  the  pitch-darkness  of  the  night,  and  the  loss 
of  division,  brigade,  and  regimental  commanders,  who  had 
been  shot  down  before  its  occurrence.  The  lack  of  definite 
information  as  to  the  precise  situation  of  our  forces  within 
the  fort,'  and  the  lack  of  care  in  seeking  such  information, 
led  the  second  brigade,  hurrying  up  to  reinforce  us,  to  shoot 
us  down  from  the  rear  as  fatally  as  the  enemy  had  done 
from  the  front.  As  nearly  as  I  can  now  fix  the  time  of  these 
three  assaults,  they  were  as  follows:  The  Fifty-fourth  Massa 
chusetts  made  their  charge  at  about  7.45  P.M.,  Strong's 
brigade  at  8.5,  and  Putman's  brigade  at  8.30.  We  had  been 
therefore  inside  the  fort — clinging  to  its  further  bank,  send 
ing  frequent  messages  -to  the  rear  with  information  of  our 
position  and  calling  for  reinforcements — for  nearly  half  an 
hour  before  they  came  up  the  beach  behind  us,  crossed  the 
ditch,  and,  reaching  the  first  parapet,  fired  a  whole  volley 
at  point-blank  range  into  us.  It  was  then  that  Colonel 
Barton  fell,  and  hundreds  of  brave  fellows  who  had  survived 


FORT    IVAGNER.  11$ 

that  storm  of  fire  in  their  front  went  down  before  the  volley 
of  their  own  comrades  from  the  rear.  It  was  one  of  those 
mistakes  never  to  be  accounted  for,  nor  atoned  for,  in  war. 
I  have  no  doubt  that,  exasperated  by  such  a  stupid  blunder, 
some  of  the  men  within  the  fort  fired  back  at  their  assailants 
on  the  parapet  behind  them.  At  least  they  broke  and  re 
treated,  and  left  us  there,  still  holding  the  salient,  but 
greatly  reduced  in  numbers.  There  was  never  a  better 
illustration  of  the  wisdom  of  the  famous  order  of  General 
Anthony  Wayne  at  the  storming  of  Stony  Point,  "  Empty 
your  cartridge-boxes  and  trust  to  your  bayonets."  Had 
that  been  done  that  night,  before  they  reached  us  with  their 
bayonets,  Colonel  Dandy's  One  Hundredth  New  York 
would  have  discovered  that  we  were  their  friends.  Messen 
gers  were  sent  continually  to  the  rear  pleading  for  reinforce 
ments  to  help  us  hold  the  salient  till  daylight.  Sometimes 
a  wounded  man  would  volunteer  to  drag  himself  away  and 
bring  some  one  to  our  relief.  Why  they  never  came  we 
could  not  understand.  Stevenson's  brigade  was  still  in 
reserve,  and  had  they  reinforced  us  our  position  was  secure. 
The  lack  of  reliable  information  in  the  rear  seems  to  have 
been  the  difficulty,  and  there  appears  to  have  been  a  strange 
lack  of  faith  in  the  assurances  of  the  messengers  who  did 
reach  our  lines  and  applied  to  General  Stevenson  to  come 
forward  to  our  support.  In  the  history  of  the  Ninety-seventh 
Pennsylvania,  written  by  Major  Isaiah  Price,  I  find  the  fol 
lowing  acknowledgments : 

"  An  aid  of  General  Seymour  came  to  Colonel  Guss  with  orders  for 
the  Ninety-seventh  to  advance,  stating  that  Strong's  forces  had  entered 
Fort  Wagner,  and  were  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  with  the 
enemy,  and  needed  immediate  help.  The  order  claimed  to  have  the 
sanction  of  General  Stevenson;  but,  owing  to  the  conflicting  intelli 
gence  received  frcyn  the  front,  and  the  perplexity  attendant  upon  the 
extreme  darkness  of  the  night,  it  was  impossible  to  be  entirely  satis 
fied  of  the  reliability  of  a  verbal  order  from  an  aid  not  personally 
known  to  the  officer  receiving  it."  .  .  .  Yet  "the  regiment  was  imme 
diately  advanced  under  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry.  After  marching 
about  two  hundred  yards,  meeting  a  large  number  of  wounded  soldiers 


Il6  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

struggling  back,  General  Stevenson  appeared  at  the  head  of  the 
regiment,  and  then  rode  rapidly  toward  the  fort.  He  soon  returned, 
ordered  a  '  halt — about  face,'  and  sent  the  regiment  back  to  its  former 
position.  In  a  little  while  he  sent  another  message  to  the  regiment  as 
follows  :  '  It  is  reported  that  our  troops  have  effected  a  lodgment  upon 
one  angle  of  the  fort  and  retain  possession  of  it.  You  will  move  up 
and  ascertain  if  this  is  correct,  and,  if  true,  you  will  open  com  muni 
tion  with  that  force  and  render  whatever  assistance  is  required.' " 

But  they  did  not  come :  they  claim  to  have  marched  for 
ward,  and  meeting  some  rebel  pickets,  came  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  we  had  surrendered.  Still  later  in  the  night  (I 
quote  from  the  same  authority),  "  upon  information  being 
received  by  General  Stevenson  to  the  effect  that  many  of  our 
men  still  remained  in  possession  of  a  portion  of  the  fort,  he 
ordered  an  officer  and  ten  men  to  reconnoitre  the  work; 
they  were  compelled  to  retire,  however,  by  the  fire  of  the 
enemy."  That  acknowledgment  of  three  separate  commu 
nications  from  the  men  who  were  holding  the  salient  all 
through  those  dreadful  hours,  and  that  explanation  of  why 
their  appeals  were  in  vain,  is  absolutely  the  only  record  of 
it  I  have  been  able  anywhere  to  find.  It  proves  at  least 
that  those  of  our  comrades  who  were  sent  to  the  rear  for  re 
inforcements  did  not  fail  to  apply  for  them  to  the  General 
commanding  the  brigade  in  reserve,  whose  duty  it  cer 
tainly  was  to  have  ascertained  if  their  representations 
were  true.  It  was  not  only  pitiful  to  leave  us  there  to  our 
fate,  as  far  as  we  were  concerned,  but  it  was  fatal  to  the  re 
sult  of  that  battle ;  for  had  that  southeast  bastion  been 
thoroughly  reinforced  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  it  could 
have  been  held  against  all-comers  till  morning,  and  then  it 
would  have  commanded  the  rest  of  the  work,  and  the  great 
assault  would  not  have  been  in  vain.  As  it  was,  we  were 
left  to  our  fate,  and  now  occurred  within  that  captured  sa 
lient  for  the  next  three  hours  and  more,  as  remarkable  a 
scene  of  valor  as  can  be  read  of  in  history. 

The  ground  within  that  salient  was  piled  with  dead  and 
dying  in  places  three  feet  deep  ;  the  wounded  cried  for 


FORT    WAGNER.  117 

help;  our  numbers  had  been  greatly  reduced,  both  by  the 
fire  from  the  rear  and  by  the  retirement  one  at  a  time,  as 
best  they  could,  of  many  who  thought  the  attempt  to  hold 
the  bastion  was  folly.  After  all  had  gone,  however,  there 
still  remained,  scattered  along  the  inside  of  the  superior 
slope,  140  men.  They  were  mainly,  as  already  said,  of  the 
Sixth  Connecticut  and  Forty-eighth  New  York,  although 
there  was  hardly  any  regiment  that  had  participated  in  either 
of  the  three  assaults,  some  of  whose  men  had  not  forced 
their  way  into  that  bastion,  and  did  not  join  that  little  stal 
wart  company  who  determined  to  defend  it  to  the  last.  In 
the  darkness  they  did  not  know  each  other :  they  only  knew 
that  they  were  lying  on  top  of  heaps  of  dead,  and  could  tell 
from  their  own  fire  that  they  were  well  distributed,  and  that 
they  had  made  a  common  resolve  that  they  would  hold  what 
they  had  taken  to  the  end.  When  their  ammunition  was 
exhausted,  they  robbed  the  dead  for  more ;  when  they  were 
assaulted  at  one  point,  they  rushed  together  there  and  de 
fended  it :  so  at  all  points.  They  were  actuated  by  the 
noblest  spirit  that  ever  prompted  soldiers  to  valorous  and 
desperate  deeds ;  they  helped  each  other  automatically,  for 
there  was  no  one  to  order  them.  They  were  not  like  a 
single  company  or  the  remnants  of  a  regiment,  properly  of 
ficered  and  ordered  what  to  do,  and  yet  they  did  not  know 
until  the  next  morning,  when  they  looked  into  each  other's 
faces  in  the  prison,  that  there  was  not  among  them  a  single 
commissioned  officer,  that  to  a  man  they  \Mzvtt  private  soldiers. 
Let  it  be  remembered  to  their  lasting  renown,  that  the  men 
who  defended  Fort  Wagner  for  three  hours  after  they  had 
been  abandoned,  prompted  thereto  by  their  own  brave 
hearts  alone,  were  not  "  Generals"  or  "  Colonels"  or  "  Cap 
tains,"  but  "  privates,"  not  great  soldiers,  therefore,  but 
only  great  spirits — the  underlings  of  war,  yet  its  supreme 
heroes — private  soldiers.  Moments  passed — dreadful  mo 
unts  of  intense  anxiety.  What  instant  the  rebels  would 
rush  down  upon  them  in  overwhelming  numbers  in  the 
darkness,  and  at  what  point,  they  could  not  know.  One 


Il8  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

terrible  assault  upon  them,  led  by  Major  Rion  of  the 
Charleston  battalion,  they  successfully  repulsed  ;  many 
minor  assaults  also.  Thus  hours  passed,  terrible  hours  of 
suspense,  but  of  unrelenting  fidelity.  The  heavens  were 
black  with  clouds ;  not  a  single  star  would  look  on  a 
scene  of  blood  like  that.  The  only  light  was  the  flash  of 
the  guns  from  Fort  Sumter  above,  and  the  embrasures  on 
either  side.  For  more  than  three  hours  that  defence  of  the 
fort  within  the  fort  was  kept  up.  A  mere  handful  of  men 
did  it.  They  were  surprised  the  next  morning,  when  they 
counted  each  other,  to  know  that  they  had  numbered  only 
one  hundred  and  forty.  They  became  conscious  towards 
midnight  that  they  were  being  surrounded  :  they  saw  faintly 
in  the  darkness  lines  of  rebels  passing  down  the  seashore 
in  their  rear,  on  the  right  ;  others  that  they  did  not  see 
crossed  the  face  of  the  curtain  behind  them  on  the  left; 
1700  men  on  their  own  ground  had  failed  for  more  than 
three  hours  to  dislodge  140  abandoned  men  from  the 
mighty  salient  they  had  captured.  But  at  midnight  the 
Confederates,  by  suddenly  rushing  in  upon  them  from  front 
and  flanks  and  rear,  did  finally  overwhelm  them  ;  then  they 
surrendered.  The  writer  never  can  forget  the  instant  when 
the  mass  of  rebels  from  all  directions,  yelling  "  Surrender ! 
Surrender!"  rushed  in  upon  us;  he  fired  his  last  cartridge 
into  one  of  them,  then  broke  the  little  carbine  he  had  been 
given  at  Pulaski  upon  the  cannon  by  his  side,  and  held  up 
his  hand  and  surrendered.  He  was  at  the  time  but  a  boy,, 
and  he  claims  now  to  have  been  but  the  least,  and  the  least 
worthy,  of  that  immortal  band  of  140  who  defended  that 
salient  till  midnight ;  and  it  is  an  inexpressible  sorrow  to  him 
to  this  day  to  remember  that  it  was  the  unhappy  fate  of 
many  of  that  140  private  soldiers  who  survived  the  carnage 
of  that  battle,  to  live  to  become  idiots  for  their  country,  and 
to  starve  and  freeze  and  die  at  last  at  Belle  Island  and  An- 
dersonville,  with  the  world's  commiseration  their  only  re 
ward. 

Not  a  man  who  participated  in  that  heroic   defence  re- 


FORT    WAGNER.  I  19 

turned  to  the  Federal  lines  to  tell  of  it,  and  it  appears  to 
have  been  absolutely  unknown.  There  is  not  a  single  line 
concerning  it  that  the  writer  has  discovered  in  any  history 
of  the  event  until  Mr.  Charles  Cowley  issued  his  sterling 
pamphlet,  "  Afloat  and  Ashore,"  and  until  the  Confederate 
General  Taliaferro  wrote  his  account  of  the  battle  nineteen 
years  after  it  occurred.  Mr.  Cowley  is  inaccurate  in  naming 
the  regiments  engaged,  but  in  referring  to  the  furious  charge 
of  the  Sixth  Connecticut  and  Forty-eighth  New  York,  he 
says:  "  In  spite  of  the  most  deadly  fire,  they  leaped  over 
the  ditch,  bounded  upon  the  parapet,  drove  the  Thirty-first 
North  Carolina  with  the  bayonet,  and  entered  the  southeast 
salient  of  the  fort.  It  is  a  fact  (though  Northern  his 
torians  omit  to  mention  it)  that  these  gallant  regiments 
took  possession  of  the  south  sea-angle  of  the  fort,  and 
held  it  for  three  mortal  hours,  but  it  cost  a  terrible 
sacrifice  of  life:  the  survivors  fought  with  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  comrades  lying  three  feet  deep  around 
them  ;  finally,  for  want  of  support  they  surrendered,  few,  if 
any  of  them,  being  able  to  get  out."  But  far  the  best  ac 
count  of  it  is  from  the  pen  of  the  Confederate  General  Talia 
ferro.  After  acknowledging  the  capture  of  the  salient, 
although  he  attributes  it  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  the  regi 
ment  who  should  have  defended  it,  he  describes  his  at 
tempts  to  regain  it  in  the  following  words : 

"THE  ASSAILANTS  ASSAILED." 

"  The  party  which  had  gained  access  by  the  salient  next  the  sea 
could  not  escape ;  it  was  certain  death  to  attempt  to  pass  the  line  of 
concentrated  fire  which  swept  the  face  of  the  work,  and  they  did  not 
attempt  it ;  but  they  would  not  surrender,  and  in  despair  kept  up  a  con 
stant  fire  upon  the  main  body  of  the  fort.  The  Confederates  called 
for  volunteers  to  dislodge  them — a  summons  which  was  promptly 
responded  to  by  Major  MacDonald  of  the  Fifty-first  North  Carolina, 
and  by  Captain  Rion  of  the  Charleston  Battalion,  with  the  requisite 
number  of  men.  Rion's  company  was  selected,  and  the  gallant  Irish 
man  at  the  head  of  his  company  dashed  at  the  reckless  and  insane 
men  who  seetned  to  insist  upon  immolation.  The  tables  were  now  sin- 


I2O  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   FOLS. 

gularly  turned  :  the  assailants  had  become  the  assailed,  and  they  held 
a  fort  within  the  fort,  and  were  protected  by  the  traverses  and  gun- 
chambers  behind  which  they  fought.  Rion  rushed  at  them,  but  he 
fell,  shot  outright  with  several  of  his  men,  and  the  rest  recoiled.  At 
this  time  General  Hagood  reported  to  General  Taliaferro  with  Colonel 
Harrison's  splendid  regiment,  the  Thirty-second  Georgia,  sent  over 
by  Beauregard  to  his  assistance,  as  soon  as  a  landing  could  be  effected 
at  Cumming's  Point.  These  troops  were  ordered  to  move  along  on 
the  traverses  and  bomb-proofs,  and  to  plunge  their  concentrated  fire 
over  the  stronghold ;  still  for  a  time  they  held  out,  but  at  last  they 
surrendered." 

General  Taliaferro  closes  his  graphic  and  accurate  story 
of  that  night  by  a  quotation  from  an  address  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Dennison  :  "  The  truest  courage  and  determination  was 
manifested  on  both  sides  on  that  crimson  day  at  that  great 
slaughter-house,  Wagner." 

Thus,  only  in  a  pamphlet  in  which  a  Northern  lawyer  has 
printed  certain  pages  of  his  diary,  and  in  a  newspaper  ac 
count  written  by  the  Confederate  commanding  general  nine 
teen  years  after  the  event,  has  there  yet  appeared  any 
acknowledgment  of  that  extraordinary  defence  of  "  the  fort 
within  the  fort "  until  midnight,  by  a  handful  of  one  hun 
dred  and  forty  private  soldiers  under  the  most  terrible  fires, 
heaped  about  with  their  dead  and  dying  comrades,  amid 
their  cries  of  anguish  and  pain,  without  orders,  or  any  one 
to  order  them,  actuated  only  by  a  common  determination 
to  defend  what  they  had  taken  to  the  desperate  end — a 
deed  of  heroism,  the  writer  ventures  to  declare,  unsurpassed 
in  all  the  records  of  war.  It  would  be  unfair  to  neglect  to 
say  that  there  had  doubtless  been  others  who  had  partici 
pated  in  the  defence  for  some  time  and  who  had  succeeded  in 
getting  to  the  rear  before  the  surrender  :  indeed,  Lieutenant 
James  A.  Barrett,  though  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh, 
remained  within  the  fort  for  a  long  while,  encouraging  the 
men  to  hold  the  banks,  collecting  ammunition  from  the 
dead  and  passing  it  to  the  living,  and  his  word  cannot  be 
disputed  that  when  he  determined  to  go  to  the  rear  himself, 
he  ordered  all  the  men  within  sound  of  his  voice  to  retire 


FORT    WAGNER.  121 

also.  Such  orders,  however,  were  unheard  high  up  on  the 
bank  where  the  firing  was  in  progress  ;  and  if  they  had  been 
heard  it  is  doubtful  if  they  would  have  been  obeyed.  Noth 
ing  less  than  a  delirium  of  patriotism  actuated  the  defiant 
men,  who  would  not  surrender  and  would  not  retreat.  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  James  M.  Green  of  the  Forty-eighth  was 
shot  dead  after  crossing  the  bastion,  as  he  leaped  on  the 
inner  parapet.  He  lay  for  hours  on  his  back,  on  the  side 
of  the  slope  near  by  the  writer;  when  the  flash  of  the  guns 
lit  up  the  scene  he  could  see  his  face :  his  long  beard,  that 
flowed  down  to  his  breast,  was  burnt  by  the  fires  of  the  bat 
tle ;  he  was  yet  breathing  but  unconscious  at  midnight. 
Sergeant  George  Cranmer,  who  crossed  the  ditch  and  rah 
up  the  bank  by  the  writer's  side,  pausing  to  fire  af  shot  by 
the  side  of  the  first  rebel  cannon,  fell  dead  upon  its  plat 
form.  The  bullets  struck  that  cannon  as  hail  strikes  a  pane 
of  glass.  It  was  a  night  of  terrors,  never  before  (and  never 
again)  experienced  in  the  history  of  the  regiment.  Captain 
Paxson,  with  both  his  legs  shot  through  with  canister, 
heaped  about  by  the  dead  and  the  dying,  was  lying  there 
bleeding  to  death  ;  and  long  into  the  night,  and  high  above 
the  sound  of  musketry  and  the  crash  of  howitzers,  was 
heard  his  dying  call,  "  Die-no-mores,  follow  me."  Every  in 
dividual  had  experiences  which  were  peculiar  to  himself ; 
no  one  man  can  narrate  the  occurrences  precisely  as  they 
appeared  to  another  ;  but  as  an  example  of  the  horrors  of 
that  night,  I  desire  to  quote  from  the  diary  of  Melville  R. 
Conklin  of  Company  K.  He  says: 

"  I  had  passed  the  first  parapet  and  nearly  gained  the  colors  when 
I  was  struck  by  a  bullet  on  my  right  cheek,  about  one  inch  from  the 
edge  of  my  jaw ;  the  bullet  passed  entirely  through  my  head,  coming 
out  within  an  inch  of  my  temple,  forcing  out  my  left  eye ;  it  broke  my 
upper  jaw,  and  consequently  tore  out  my  teeth.  My  first  feelings  were 
as  if  I  had  been  struck  a  severe  blow,  and  it  felt  as  if  my  head  was  all 
smashed  in  ;  the  next,  I  felt  a  sharp,  stinging  pain  through  my  temple, 
and  as  I  raised  my  hand  to  it,  my  eye  fell  into  my  hand,  and  I  cast  it 
on  the  ground.  I  took  but  t\vo  steps  farther,  then  fell  down,  and  lay 
senseless  possibly  fifteen  minutes,  and  in  my  first  moments  of  return- 


122  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  //.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

ing  consciousness  managed  to  crawl  behind  a  broken  gun-carriage  to 
shelter  myself  from  further  danger;  as  I  was  unfit  for  further  use  here, 
I  managed  to  get  my  hand  under  my  head,  and  was  lying  upon  my 
stomach  to  keep  the  blood  from  strangling  me.  I  had  a  canteen  full 
of  water  with  which  I  kept  washing  my  mouth  out.  Before  I  was  able 
to  crawl  away  I  was  struck  by  a  piece  of  shell  on  my  left  hip,  passing 
entirely  through  me  :  this  shot  dispelled  all  thoughts  of  escape  ;  I  had 
not  strength  enough  to  move.  Reinforcements  failed  from  some  un 
known  cause  to  come  up  to  the  support  of  our  men.  ...  So  passed 
the  memorable  night.  I  lay  where  I  had  crawled,  with  heaps  of  dead 
and  dying  around  me,  until  daylight  the  next  morning." 

I  quote  that,  not  as  an  exceptional  experience,  but  as  a 
fair  sample  of  what  hundreds  of  other  brave  fellows  suffered 
who  were  not  killed  outright.  So  ended  the  assault  at 
Fort  Wagner:  it  had  lasted  for  four  hours  ;  it  had  been  sig 
nalized  by  deeds  of  daring  unsurpassed  in  history  ;  and  when 
the  sun  rose  the  next  morning  Fort  Wagner  was  no  nearer 
taken  than  it  had  been  the  morning  before.  Two  thousand 
men  had  been  sacrificed  because  of  the  darkness  which  came 
upon  them  as  soon  as  they  struck  the  fort,  and  which  was  so 
impenetrable  that  it  made  it  impossible  for  them  to  proceed  ; 
ten  minutes  more  of  daylight  and  the  fort  had  been  theirs. 
Whoever  delayed  the  assault  till  eight  o'clock  made  a  fatal 
blunder ;  another  had  been  made  eight  days  before,  when  (on 
July  loth)  it  could  have  been  taken  with  trifling  loss ; 
the  third  blunder  was  in  the  delay  of  Putnam's  brigade  in 
coming  to  the  support  of  Strong's,  and  their  firing  into 
them.  Stevenson's  brigade  also  should  have  been  pushed 
in  to  support  Putnam  ;  but  I  suppose  that  the  fall  of  both 
the  division  and  the  two  brigade  commanders  could  not 
have  been  anticipated,  and  after  Seymour,  Strong,  and  Put 
nam  had  fallen  there  seems  to  have  been  no  one  to  succeed 
to  the  command,  when  the  presence  of  a  commanding  gen 
eral  was  so  imperatively  required.  Our  gallant  young  bri 
gade-commander,  General  George  C.  Strong,  had  been  severe 
ly  wounded  by  a  discharge  from  a  howitzer,  striking  him  in 
the  thigh.  He  was  immediately  borne  from  the  field  and  his 
wound  was  dressed  ;  subsequently  he  was  taken  to  Hilton 


FORT    WAGNER.  I2J' 

Head,  and  to  his  home  in  New  York,  where  he  died  from 
lock-jaw,  resulting  from  his  wound,  on  the  3Oth  of  July,  1863. 
How  gladly  would  we  stop  to  pay  a  fitting  tribute  to  each 
one  of  the  brave  fellows  who  fell  in  front  of  Wagner! 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Green  had  said  that  day,  "  I  am  going 
to  sleep  under  that  big  gun  to-night;"  and  he  did.  Captain 
Hurst  said,  "Take  a  cigar,  my  boy;  I  will  see  you  in  the 
morning."  Captain  Farrell  said,  "  If  I  am  killed  to-night, 
what  will  become  of  my  family?"  Lieutenant  Fox,  as  he- 
lay  dying  in  the. ditch,  said  to  one  of  the  boys,  "Settle  my 
mess-bill ;  pay  my  servant  a  month's  wages  ;  there's  a  rest 
remaining."  He  was  not  yet  twenty-one  years  of  age,  but  he- 
commanded  Company  A  (the  color  company)  that  night.  He 
did  not  fall  until  wounded  the  third  time.  Sergeant  Sparks, 
who  bore  the  colors,  had  his  hand  shattered  by  the  same 
shot  that  demolished  the  staff  he  bore.  Colonel  Barton's 
wound  was  a  bad  one  ;  so  were  most  of  the  others.  Indeed, 
such  was  the  character  of  the  missiles  that  were  hurled  at  us 
that  night  that  few  of  the  men  were  slightly  wounded,  and 
the  proportion  of  men  killed  was  very  great.  Outside  of  our 
own  regiment  the  most  conspicuous  soldiers  who  fell  after 
General  Strong  were  Colonels  Shaw  and  Putnam.  Both 
were  young  men  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  Colonel 
Shaw  was  a  son  of  Francis  George  Shaw  of  Staten  Island, 
N.  Y.,  and  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  George  William  Curtis. 
He  was  proud  of  his  place  as  colonel  of  the  first  colored 
regiment  raised  in  Massachusetts,  at  the  head  of  which 
he  fell.  He  was  a  man  of  refinement  and  gentle  man 
ners,  and  brave  as  a  lion.  They  buried  him  "  in  a  pit 
under  a  heap  of  his  niggers  ;"  but  they  could  not  dishonor 
him.  His  name  that  night  rose  into  high  and  lasting  renown. 
Colonel  Putnam  of  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire  was  an 
equally  brave  and  noble  soldier.  He  was  a  graduate  of  West 
Point.  Two  medals  were  sent  to  each  company  of  the  regi 
ment  to  be  given  to  soldiers  of  conspicuous  gallantry  at  the 
battle  of  Fort  Wagner.  Major  Barrett  says  that  Company 
H  proposed  to  send  theirs  back  with  the  message  that  they 


124 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N,   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


•"  would  not  go  around."  They  were,  however,  generally 
distributed  to  men  who  had  lost  limbs,  and  did  not  re 
turn  to  the  service.  The  one  hundred  and  forty  soldiers 
who  defended  the  sea-face  bastion  until  midnight  were 
marched  the  next  morning  to  Cumming's  Point,  put  on  board 
a  little  steamboat,  and  passing  around  Fort  Sumter — already 
well-nigh  battered  down  by  Gillmore's  batteries — landed  at 
Charleston.  It  was  a  Sabbath  morning,  but  they  were 
cursed  as  they  passed  along  the  streets  by  an  infuriated  mob, 
and  were  glad  when  they  were  secure  in  the  city  jail. 


FORT  SUMTER  AFTER  THE  BOMBARDMENT. 

Beauregard  summoned  some  of  the  prisoners  before  him, 
and  tried  to  ascertain  by  questioning  them  what  Federal 
forces  remained  on  Morris  Island.  The  writer  when  asked 
told  him  about  twenty  thousand.  He  threatened  to  punish 
the  men  of  the  Forty-eighth  also  for  participation  in  the 
burning  of  Bluffton.  His  threats  were  not  carried  out. 
Three  days  afterwards  the  prisoners  were  sent  to  Columbia, 
.S.  C.,  and  remained  there  in  prison  for  two  months.  In 
-September  they  were  taken  to  Richmond,  first  to  Libby 
Prison,  then  to  Belle  Isle,  and  were  soon  scattered  and  lost 


FORT    WAGNER.  12$, 

amid  the  thousands  of  emaciated  sufferers  there.  Subse 
quently  many  of  them  were  sent  to  Andersonville.  Few 
ever  returned.  Their  fate  was  a  sad  requitil  for  the  valor 
they  had  displayed  on  the  ramparts  of  Wagner. 

The  writer  has  made  two  visits  to  Fort  Wagner  since  the 
war  :  in  October,  1874,  and  in  April,  1884.  As  you  approach 
Morris  Island  now,  sailing  down  the  bay  from  Charleston,  it 
looks  like  a  low  line  of  sand  against  the  southern  sky.  In  the 
centre  of  it  there  is  a  little  mound,  overgrown  with  brush, 
that  can  be  seen  above  the  horizon  from  far  up  the  bay  ~ 
that  mound  is  Wagner.  At  my  first  visit  the  "  lazaretto" 
stood  where  our  batteries  had  been  at  the  foot  of  the  ap 
proach.  The  sand  had  drifted  over  bastions  and  embank 
ments,  but  the  same  sea  washed  up  the  same  beach,  and  the 
same  wild-oat  grew  here  and  there  in  single  spears ;  the 
bomb-proofs  were  filled  with  sand,  but  still  the  outlines  of 
the  great  parapets  were  distinct,  and  the  sea-face  bastion,, 
which  was  so  long  defended,  and  so  heaped  with  dead, 
was  easily  traceable.  No  monument  has  been  erected  there  ;. 
not  so  much  as  a  sign-board  tells  the  passer-by  to  this  day 
that  any  event  of  historic  interest  occurred  upon  that  spot. 
Man  has  been  unmindful  and  ungrateful,  but  God  has 
remembered  those  dead  heroes.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  dead  within  that  bastion  were  never  decently  buried, 
but  the  next  morning  were  shovelled  over  with  sand  and  left 
there  as  they  fell,  heaped  together  in  indiscriminate  glory. 

On  that  October  day  of  1874,  as  the  writer  climbed  again 
the  drifted  sand  to  stand  once  more  upon  those  parapets  and 
with  uncovered  head  and  in  tears  recall  the  memory  of  his 
comrades  who  on  that  spot  had  fallen,  what  was  his  surprise 
to  find  a  bed  of  flowers  blooming  there.  Upon  that  arid, 
sterile,  sandy  island,  where  nothing  ever  grew  before,  over 
the  whole  area  of  that  bastion  which  had  been  so  heaped 
with  dead,  and  there  only,  there  grew  a  blue  flower — a  wild 
species  of  * '  forget-me-not"  that  blooms  perennially.  He 
made  inquiries  as  to  how  the  flowers  came  there,  but  no  one 
could  explain  it.  Somebody  may  have  sown  the  seed  ;  but 


126  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

those  flowers  doubtless  sprang  from  the  rich  dust  of  the 
heroes  who  were  so  rudely  sepulchred  upon  that  spot — as  if 
the  great  God,  to  rebuke  the  neglect  of  the  Republic,  had 
placed  them  there  a  monument.  And  what  could  be  a  no 
bler  one  ?  Marble  shafts  will  crumble,  bronze  will  tarnish 
with  time,  granite  will  wear  away  with  years,  but  flowers 
will  bloom  in  their  seasons  forever. 

And  yet  the  day  may  come  when  opposing  sections  of  a  re 
stored  Union  will  unite  to  erect  upon  that  mound  of  sand  a 
monument  to  the  heroes  who  fell  there  on  either  side.  Let  it 
be  a  noble  shaft,  typical  of  the  brave  spirits  who  loved  their 
lives  less  than  they  loved  their  honor,  and  who  died  upon  those 
sands,  lifting  them  forever  into  undying  renown.  The  hearts 
of  the  sailors  as  they  enter  and  leave  the  port  will  swell  within 
them  at  the  sight,  and  it  will  mean  forever  that  upon  this  spot 
died  heroic  men,  who  believed  that  they  were  fighting  for 
the  right.  For  the  grim  courage  that  rushed  forward  against 
those  fatal  parapets  was  met  by  a  courage  not  inferior  that 
defended  them.  To  appropriate  the  words  of  Thomas  Starr 
King  in  describing  the  charge  by  Ney's  cavalry  at  Water 
loo,  the  assault  and  defence  of  Fort  Wagner  was  "the  beat 
of  a  fiery  sensibility  against  a  stony  patience ;  "  it  was  "  the 
old  hypothesis  in  dramatic  play  of  an  irresistible  in  contact 
with  an  immovable.  The  irresistible  was  spent — the  im 
movable  stood  fast."  The  chapter  upon  Fort  Wagner  in 
General  Beauregard's  recently  published  work  closes  with  this 
sentence  :  "  It  is  a  matter  of  history  to-day,  that  the  de 
fence  of  Battery  Wagner  is  looked  upon  as  the  most  skil 
ful,  desperate,  and  glorious  achievement  of  the  war  ;  it  stands 
unsurpassed  in  ancient  and  modern  times."  The  writer  was 
indebted,  on  his  first  visit  to  the  historic  spot,  to  the  courte 
sies  of  Captain  Gleason  of  the  United  States  Army,  then  in 
charge  of  the  Government  works  in  Charleston  Harbor. 
And  no  better  illustration  of  the  dreadful  carnage  of  that 
fearful  night  can  be  found  than  the  fact  which  he  stated  as 
we  strolled  together  along  the  sandy  beach — that  although 
eleven  years  had  passed  since  the  assault,  yet  after  every 
great  storm  he  was  accustomed  to  gather  up,  upon  that  spot, 


FORT    WAGNER.  \2J 

a.  wagon-load  of  human  bones  which  the  waves  of  the  sea  had 
unearthed,  and  reinter  them.  It  is  a  haunted  beach.  At  the 
writer's  second  visit  (1884)  the  fort  remained  unchanged, 
though  the  sea  had  washed  across  the  island  in  its  rear, 
making  an  inlet  that  now  connects  Vincent's  Creek  with  the 
ocean  at  high-tide.  The  Forty-Eighth  Regiment  was  des 
tined  yet  to  suffer  in  many  battles,  as  whoever  will  patient 
ly  continue  to  read  this  history  will  learn,  but  never  again 
so  terribly  as  that  night  at  Fort  Wagner. 

After  the  repulse    of  July    i8th,   Gillmore  modified   his 
plans,  and  undertook  the  slower  but  surer  method  of  reduc- 

_ _ 


SWAMP  ANGEL. 

ing  Wagner  by  regular  approaches.  He  erected  also  the 
famous  "  Swamp  Angel,"  with  which  he  threw  shells  into 
Charleston.  He  prosecuted  the  work  with  great  vigor  and 
skill,  by  night  and  day.  By  September  6th  the  sap  had 
reached  the  south  face  of  the  fort,  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  /th  it  was  finally  evacuated.  Gillmore's  congratulatory 
address  to  his  troops  on  the  I5th  contains  the  following 
words  :  "  You  now  hold  in  possession  the  whole  of  Morris 
Island,  and  the  city  and  harbor  of  Charleston  lie  at  the 
mercy  of  your  artillery  from  the  very  spot  where  the  first 
shot  was  fired  at  your  country's  flag,  and  the  rebellion  itself 
was  inaugurated."  He  had  at  last  succeeded  in  taking 
Morris  Island  (he  had  also  battered  Fort  Sumter  into  a 
heap  of  brick  dust),  but  at  what  terrible  cost ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Olustee— July  19,  1863,  to  April  22,  1864. 

After  Fort  Wagner — July  22d,  leave  Morris  Island — Hilton  Head — St.  Augus 
tine,  Fla. — Beaufort,  S.  C. — Recruits,  and  Return  of  Wounded  Men — 
Re-enlistment  of  Veterans — Festivities  at  the  Holidays — "  Les  Enfans 
Perdu" — February  5,  1864,  embark  for  the  Expedition  to  Olustee — Gen 
eral  Seymour  Advances — February  2Oth,  the  Battle — Barton's  Brigade — 
Losses — The  Retreat — The  Enemy — Story  of  Sergeant  Lang — Lieuten 
ant  Keenan  Killed — March  gth,  Palatka,  Fla. — Return  of  the  "  Veterans  " 
— Farewell  to  the  Department  of  the  South — April  2Oth,  sail  from  Port 
Royal. 

the  morning  after  Fort  Wagner  the  whole  of  Strong's 
brigade  could  only  muster  700  men.  The  Forty- 
eighth  Regiment  was  but  the  shattered  remnant  of  its  former 
self.  General  Gillmore  rode  along  the  line  as  it  stood  formed, 
and  looked  with  sad  eyes  upon  its  thinned  ranks  ;  it  was  no 
longer  fit  for  service  at  the  front,  although  it  spent  one  day 
in  the  rifle-pits.  On  Wednesday,  July  22d,  orders  were  re 
ceived  for  its  transfer  to  Hilton  Head,  and  thence  to  Florida. 
It  embarked  on  the  steamer  Mary  Benton,  but  she  struck  a 
sand-bar  on  passing  out  of  the  inlet,  and  sprang  a  leak.  A 
terrible  storm  came  on  while  they  were  at  sea,  and  the  men 
had  to  take  to  the  pumps  to  keep  the  ship  from  sinking. 
Hilton  Head  was  reached,  however,  on  the  23d,  where  Ma 
jor  Strickland,  who  had  been  absent  on  sick  leave,  rejoined 
the  regiment  and  assumed  command. 

On  July  3 ist  itt  embarked  again,  reaching  St.  Augustine, 
Fla.,  on  the  2d  of  August,  succeeding  the  Seventh  Con 
necticut  in  the  garrison  there,  as  it  had  done  fifteen  months 
before  at  Fort  Pulaski.  St.  Augustine  claims  to  be  the 
oldest  settlement  in  the  United  States ;  Santa  Fe,  New  Mex 
ico,  is  the  only  place  which  disputes  the  claim.  It  was  a 


OLUSTEE.  129 

quaint  old  town,  pretty  and  unique;  the  ancient  houses 
were  built  of  concrete,  and  the  few  inhabitants  were  de 
scendants  of  the  early  French  and  Spanish  settlers.  They 
were  poor  enough  during  the  war,  and  many  of  them  were 
allowed  rations  by  the  Government.  Fruits,  fish,  sweet 
potatoes,  and  sweet  milk  were  plentiful,  however,  and  very 
cheap.  Five  companies  of  the  regiment  found  quarters  in 
the  barracks,  while  three  were  sent  to  Fort  Marion,  a  vener 
able  structure  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  population 
of  St.  Augustine  was  about  400.  Oranges,  lemons,  and 
pomegranates  were  abundant,  and  though  it  was  the  hot 
summer,  the  quiet  and  tranquillity  of  the  place  was  a  grate 
ful  contrast  to  the  terrible  experiences  of  Morris  Island. 

There  was  a  little  social  life  now  at  St.  Augustine,  and 
the  men  enjoyed  it  greatly,  the  regiment  becoming  speedily 
popular  among  the  population.  The  fixtures  of  the  theatre 
were  brought  from  Fort  Pulaski,  and  the  "  Barton  Dramatic 
Association  '  (or  what  was  left  of  them)  furnished  a  deal  of 
amusement  to  everybody.  Lieutenant  Nichols,  who,  during 
the  terrible  experiences  on  Morris  Island,  had  been  absent 
from  the  regiment  in  charge  of  the  Billinghurst  and  Requa 
Battery,  now  returned,  and  acted  as  provost-marshal  at  St. 
Augustine.  The  two  months  which  the  remnant  of  the 
spent  in  Florida  gave  them  a  grateful  rest. 

On  October  the  4th  they  were  relieved  at  St.  Augustine 
by  the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts, — who  had  come  from 
Morris  Island, — and  sailed  for  Hilton  Head  on  the  6th,  ex 
pecting  to  be  sent  back  to  the  batteries  in  front  of  Wagner ; 
haply,  however,  they  were  sent  instead  to  Beaufort.  There 
tents  were  pitched  in  a  wood  about  three  miles  from  the  land 
ing,  and  the  regiment  was  once  more  in  camp.  Four  com 
panies  were  subsequently  sent  to  Seabrook,  on  Hilton  Head 
Island,  and  Company  A  to  Pope's  Plantation  for  picket-duty. 
Many  of  the  wounded  officers  and  men  from  Fort  Wagner 
who  had  recovered  now  returned  to  the  regiment,  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  recruits  from  the  North  were  added.  On 
November  1 3th,  Companies  G  and  I,  which  had  been  so  long 
9 


13°  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

absent  in  garrison  at  Fort  Pulaski  and  Tybee  Island,  re 
turned,  and  Company  D  was  sent  to  Fort  Pulaski,  where  it 
remained,  however,  but  a  few  days.  The  addition  of  these 
two  full  companies,  the  recruits,  and  the  return  of  wounded 
men,  greatly  increased  the  strength  of  the  regiment.  In 
December  the  re-enlistment  of  veterans  began.  A  furlough 
of  thirty  days  was  promised  every  man  who  would  re-enlist, 
and  a  bounty  from  the  Government  and  the  State  that 
aggregated  about  eight  hundred  dollars.  The  re-enlisted 
veterans  of  the  Forty-eighth,  nearly  three  hundred  in  num 
ber,  sailed  for  New  York  on  the  Atlantic,  on  January  31, 
1864.  They  were  escorted  to  the  pier  by  the  whole  brigade, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Strickland  and  ten  other  officers  accom 
panying  them,  ostensibly  to  see  that  they  received  their 
bounties ;  but  in  fact,  I  suspect,  to  see  also  that  they  got 
back  after  their  thirty  days  of  furlough  had  expired.  By 
their  absence  in  February  the  veterans  escaped  the  perils 
of  the  battle  of  Olustee. 

On  Christmas  Day  of  1863  the  Forty-eighth  New  York 
entertained  the  Forty-seventh,  and  a  week  later — on  New 
Year's  Day — the  Forty-seventh  returned  their  hospitality. 
Both  days  were  highly  enjoyable.  Colonel  Barton  returned 
from  the  -North  on  October  23d,  having  recovered  from  his 
wounds  received  at  Wagner.  On  December  6th  the  regi 
ment  returned  to  Hilton  Head.  On  January  30,  1864,  "  Les 
Enfants  Perdu,"  better  known  as  the  "  Lost  Children,"  an  in 
dependent  battalion  which  had  been  somewhat  notorious  in 
the  Department,  was  consolidated  with  the  Forty:seventh 
and  Forty-eighth  New  York  regiments,  the  Forty-eighth  re 
ceiving  about  a  hundred  and  fifty.  Finally,  on  February  5, 
1864,  the  Forty-eighth,  with  six  days'  cooked  rations  in  their 
haversacks,  embarked  on  board  the  steamer  Delaware,  in 
company  with  the  left  wing  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifteenth  New  York,  reaching  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  on  Mon 
day,  February  8th.  The  expedition  of  which  they  now 
formed  a  part  was  under  the  command  of  General  Truman 
Seymour,  and  was  destined  to  operate  in  the  State  of  Florida. 


0  LUSTER.  131 

The  artillery  and  cavalry  were  commanded  by  Colonel  Guy 
V.  Henry ;  they  were  the  Fortieth  Massachusetts  Mounted 
Infantry ;  a  battalion  of  the  First  Massachusetts  Cavalry ; 
the  batteries  of  Captains  Elder,  Hamilton,  and  Langdon  ; 
and  a  section  of  the  Third  Rhode  Island  Artillery. 

The  infantry  brigades  were  commanded  respectively  by 
Colonels  Hawley,  Barton,  and  Scammon,  and  the  brigade  of 
colored  troops  by  Colonel  Montgomery. 

General  Gillmore  in  person  followed  us  to  Florida,  com 
ing  as  far  as  Baldwin,  after  which  he  returned  to  Hilton 
Head,  leaving  instructions  with  General  Seymour  not  to 
advance  beyond  Baldwin  without  further  orders.  Seymour, 
however,  was  fired  with  his  old  determination  to  fight,  and 
pushed  his  columns  forward,  the  cavalry  under  Colonel 
Henry  by  a  midnight  dash  capturing  "  Camp  Finnigan." 
Deceived  by  a  report  that  General  Finnigan  had  fallen  back 
from  Lake  City,  Seymour  took  the  responsibility  of  moving 
his  forces  forward  toward  the  river.  He  telegraphed  the 
fact  to  Gillmore,  who  received  the  news  with  astonishment 
and  not  a  little  alarm  :  he  instantly  sent  back  a  message  of  re 
monstrance  ;  but  it  was  too  late,  for  on  the  day  of  its  arrival, 
Seymour  had  already  fought  and  lost  the  battle  of  Olustee. 

The  Federal  infantry  marched  inland,  divided  into  three 
columns ;  Hawley's  brigade  on  the  left,  Barton's  in  the 
centre,  and  Scammon's  on  the  extreme  right.  Montgomery's 
brigade  of  colored  troops  followed  in  the  rear.  The  forces 
consisted  of  about  five  thousand  men,  and  carried  eight  days' 
rations.  They  marched  by  separate  roads — first  to  "  Barber's," 
twelve  miles ;  thence  to  "  Sanderson,"  nine  miles  farther ;  and 
then  fell  back  to  "  Barber's,"  where  they  remained  until  the 
morning  of  February  2oth.  On  that  fatal  day  they  pushed 
forward  again,  starting  at  eight  o'clock,  and  by  three  in  the 
afternoon  reached  a  point  on  the  railway  two  or  three  miles 
east  of  Olustee  Station,  where  they  found  the  Confederate 
General  Finnigan  in  strong  position,  ready  to  receive  them. 
He  had  posted  his  forces  in  ambush,  under  cover  of  a  swamp 
and  a  heavy  pine  forest,  one  flank  resting  on  the  woods  and 


132  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

the  other  on  Ocean  Pond.  Seymour  marched  his  weaned 
men  straight  into  that  ambush,  and  they  were  at  close  quar 
ters  with  the  enemy  as  soon  as  they  became  aware  of  his 
presence.  It  was  a  critical  situation,  and  a  precipitous, 
sharp,  sanguinary,  and  disastrous  battle  immediately  ensued, 
The  Confederates  call  it  the  battle  of  "  Ocean  Pond;"  the 
Federals,  "  Olustee."  Colonel  Henry's  cavalry  and  the 
Seventh  Connecticut  were  in  advance,  and  met  the  enemy 
first.  So  deadly  was  the  fire  which  they  encountered,  that  the 
Seventh  New  Hampshire  was  ordered  forward  to  support  the 
batteries  of  Hamilton,  Elder,  and  Langdon.  Our  forces  had 
sixteen  guns,  the  Confederates  only  four.  Our  guns,  how 
ever,  were  brought  too  far  forward,  and  the  rebel  sharp 
shooters  picked  off  the  artillerymen  with  fatal  precision. 
Hamilton's  battery,  for  instance,  was  within  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  of  the  Confederate  front,  and  within  twenty 
minutes  had  lost  forty  of  their  fifty  horses,  and  forty-five  of 
their  eighty-two  men  ;  the  remainder  fell  back,  leaving  two 
of  their  four  guns  behind  them.  The  enemy  had  the  best 
of  us  from  the  very  start  that  day. 

The  Seventh  New  Hampshire  lost  heavily,  and  the  Eighth 
United  States  Colored  Regiment  came  up  to  their  support. 
It  had  never  before  been  under  fire,  but  for  nearly  two  hours 
it  held  its  position  in  the  front  with  a  splendid  courage, 
losing  more  than  three  hundred  men.  Colonel  Barton's 
brigade  consisted  of  three  New  York  regiments,  the  Forty- 
seven,  Forty-eighth,  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth.  As 
the  Eighth  fell  back,  Barton  brought  his  brigade  forward  on 
the  double-quick  into  action.  Their  position  was  at  the 
centre,  where  the  fire  of  the  enemy  was  terrific.  To  say  that 
the  whole  brigade  did  its  duty  nobly  is  but  faint  praise.  Under 
a  most  terrible  fire  it  stood  its  ground  with  an  unsurpassed 
courage.  The  Forty-eighth  was  subjected  that  day  to  an 
ordeal — than  which  hardly  anything  is  more  trying  to  soldiers 
— that  of  holding  their  line  under  a  terrible  fire  from  the 
enemy  after  the  exhaustion  of  their  own  ammunition.  For 
two  hours  and  a  half  they  fought  with  a  valor  which  was  never 


OLUSTEE.  133 

surpassed  in  their  history,  suffering  a  loss  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  men,  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners. 

An  incident  that  is  well  remembered,  when  the  day  was 
already  practically  lost,  was  the  coming  forward  into  action 
of  Colonel  Montgomery's  colored  brigade,  the  First  North 
Carolina  passing  between  the  Forty-seventh  and  Forty- 
eighth  on  the  double-quick,  and  cheered  by  those  shattered 
regiments  as  it  went  into  battle.  The  coming  of  the  fresh 
troops  on  to  the  field  staggered  the  enemy  for  a  moment,  and 
prevented  an  effective  pursuit,  for  Seymour  (of  whom  it  is 
only  just  to  say  that  he  rode  everywhere  encouraging  his 
men,  and  exposing  his  person  at  the  points  of  greatest  peril) 
had  now  become  convinced  that  he  was  defeated,  and  had 
ordered  a  retreat.  He  carried  away  many  of  his  wounded, 
leaving,  however,  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  them  on  the 
field,  besides  many  dead.  Seymour's  total  losses  at  Olustee 
are  estimated  as  between  fifteen  hundred  and  two  thou 
sand,  and  the  value  of  the  provisions  and  stores  which  he 
burned  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy 
was  at  least  one  million  dollars.  He  lost  also  five  guns  and 
a  hundred  and  fifty  horses.  The  losses  in  the  three  regi 
ments  which  composed  Barton's  brigade  were  eight  hundred. 

The  retreat  of  our  forces  continued  until  February 
25th,  when  they  reached  Jacksonville.  The  march  to  and 
from  Olustee  was  a  terrible  one,  the  roads  often  running 
through  swamps  where  the  water  was  knee-deep ;  yet  there 
were  recompenses,  for  the  day  was  clear  and  beautiful  on 
which  they  marched  into  that  death-trap  at  Olustee,  and 
often  the  sandy  roads  ran  through  pine  forests,  and  the 
resinous  odors  of  the  trees  gave  a  balmy  fragrance  to  the 
air,  and  such  was  the  brave  spirit  of  the  men  that  the  antici 
pation  of  meeting  the  enemy  on  an  open  battle-field,  where 
they  hoped  at  last  to  conquer  them,  cheered  and  quickened 
their  weary  steps ;  but  the  march  back  through  the  night, 
with  many  of  their  comrades  killed  and  wounded  and  left 
upon  the  field,  and  others  desperately  struggling  along  on 
the  retreat,  was  a  sad  disappointment  to  their  hopes. 


134  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

The  writer  wishes  it  was  in  his  power  to  give  as  minute  a 
description  of  the  battle  of  Olustee  as  has  been  given  of  the 
assault  on  Fort  Wagner.  Nothing  more  heroic  in  all  its 
history  will  be  recorded  than  the  manner  in  which  the  Forty- 
eighth  held  its  ground  that  day  against  a  direct  and  double 
cross-fire  from  the  enemy  while  its  own  ammunition  was  ex 
hausted.  From  two  till  five  that  terrible  afternoon  it  held 
its  line  unbroken.  It  went  into  the  fight  a  second  time  after 
it  had  secured  ammunition.  Its  terrible  losses— only  second 
to  those  it  had  suffered  at  Wagner — are  the  best  indication 
of  its  valor.  The  favorable  position  of  the  enemy  and  his 
superior  numbers,  not  the  superior  gallantry  of  his  men, 
although  they  fought  bravely,  gave  them  the  victory.  The 
following  is  from  a  report  in  the  "  Rebellion  Record  :" 

"  The  battle  of  Olustee  was  fought  with  all  the  odds  on  the  enemy's 
side  :  our  men  were  weary  and  footsore  with  long  marching  ;  they  had 
taken  but  very  little  refreshment — some  not  any — since  early  break 
fast  ;  they  had  no  expectation  of  a  fight  until  actually  drawn  into  it ; 
they  fought  on  ground  where  the  room  was  insufficient  to  form  a  line 
of  battle  to  the  best  advantage  ;  the  enemy  was  at  least  three  thousand 
more  numerous  than  our  forces.  We  knew  nothing  of  the  ground  and 
position  of  the  enemy,  except  as  we  learned  them  by  dear  experience, 
and  under  such  an  array  of  unfavorable  circumstances  no  bravery  or 
skill  could  save  the  day." 

The  same  report  adds  that  "  Barton  s  brigade  fought  like 
tigers"  and  that  "  the  battle  will  take  rank  among  the 
bloodiest  and  most  fruitless  slaughters  of  the  war."  When 
it  was  discovered  that  many  of  our  wounded  must  be  left 
upon  the  field  to  the  mercy  of  the  enemy  at  our  retreat, 
Surgeon  Devendorf  of  the  Forty-eighth  nobly  volunteered 
to  remain  with  them  :  he  did  so,  and  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  enemy. 

The  Confederate  army  at  "  Ocean  Pond  "  was  under  the 
general  command  of  General  Finnigan,  but  General  Colquitt 
(now  U.  S.  Senator  from  Georgia)  was  in  immediate  com 
mand  of  the  forces  at  the  front.  The  Confederates  call 
him  to  this  day  the  "  Hero  of  Ocean  Pond."  Their  ac- 


OLUSTEE.  135 

knowledged  losses  were  ninety-three  killed  and  eight  hundred 
and  forty-one  wounded.  Their  forces  consisted  of  Clinch's 
Georgia  and  Smith's  Florida  cavalry,  Wheaton's  battery, 
(the  Chatham  artillery),  one  section  of  Gamble's  and  one  of 
Guehard's  artillery ;  the  Second  and  Sixth  Florida ;  the 
First  Georgia  regulars  ;  the  Sixth,  Nineteenth,  Twenty-third, 
Twenty-seventh,  Twenty-eighth,  Thirty-second,  and  Sixty- 
fourth  Georgia  regiments  of  infantry.  Their  reports  ac 
knowledge  the  efficiency  of  the  Spencer  Rifles,  with  which 
one  regiment  of  our  forces  was  armed.  Their  exhaustion 
at  the  close  of  the  battle  may  be  inferred  from  their  faint 
pursuit. 

Among  many  letters  giving  personal  reminiscences  of 
Olustee,  one  is  from  Sergeant  (afterwards  Captain)  Henry 
Lang  of  Company  C,  which  has  come  all  the  way  from  IX 
Ulloi  us  79,  Budapest,  Hungary.  He  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Olustee,  and  twenty  years  afterward  writes  his  reminis 
cences  of  the  event.  I  quote  from  his  letter  : 

"  I  go  twenty  years  back  to  Olustee,  Fla.,  now  only  a  dreamland.  I 
see  myself  again  amongst  the  guns,  abandoned  by  Battery  M  ;  then 
again  I  am  left  alone,  firing  away  from  sixty  rounds  I  had  in  my 
pockets.  The  rebels  had  a  good  mark  at  me,  standing  amongst  the 
guns.  They  crept  nearer  and  nearer,  jumping  from  trunk  to  trunk. 
Everything  about  me  was  shot  away — my  canteen,  my  haversack,  the 
skirts  of  my  blouse;  on  the  other  hand,  my  cartridges  were  also 
ominously  disappearing  down  to  the  fifty-sixth.  I  levelled  to  fire  the 
fifty-seventh  round  at  a  cluster  of  heads  behind  a  pine  trunk  ;  we  were 
at  close  quarters  ;  I  pulled,  my  ball  sped  on  its  way,  a  crash,  and  I  fell  to 
one  side,  propping  myself  up  with  my  gun.  At  the  moment  my  gun 
went  off,  another  ball  had  hit  at  last  its  mark,  and  my  leg  was  smashed  ; 
a  friendly  hand  assisted  me  to  a  tree  and  fled  for  dear  life  because  the 
•enemy  advanced,  and  in  another  moment  all  my  adversaries  came 
rushing  to  the  tree  where  I  was  reclining;  all  shouted,  'Are  you  the 
man  that  was  amongst  the  guns  ?  ' 

"  Having  told  them  that  that  was  so,  they  all  exclaimed  '  Bully 
boy  ! '  One  of  them  began  to  question  me  concerning  how  many  men 
we  had  in  the  battle  ;  I  told  him  about  fifteen  thousand.  They  spoke 
about  our  regiments  who  had  made  such  a  '  devilish  noise  '  with  their 
sharp-shooters.  Flushed  with  victory  as  they  were,  they  only  went 


136  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

about  three  hundred  yards  beyond  where  I  was,  and  ordered  a  halt.  I 
grew  faint  and  fainter,  and  yet  with  an  iron  determination  raised  my 
self  from  my  faintness,  cut  open  my  trousers,  and  with  the  only  hand 
kerchief  found  about  me,  and  the  help  of  a  stick,  succeeding  in  stop 
ping  the  bleeding  of  my  wound.  I  took  out  my  pipe,  and  |inding  just 
enough  tobacco,  I  began  to  smoke  to  keep  away  faintness  and  kill  the 
wretched  thoughts  growing  apace  with  the  darkness  spreading  over 
the  battle-field,  and  to  divert  my  thoughts  from  listening  to  the  groans 
of  the  dying  and  wounded,  and  from  the  blasphemous  language  of 
some  marauding  soldiers  who  were  ill-treating  wounded  negroes. 

"  In  this  state  two  young  Confederate  soldiers  came  to  me,  and  by 
holding  a  lighted  match  to  my  face  they  recognized  me  as  one  of  the 
Forty-eighth  Regiment.  They  inquired  about  their  home  in  Savan 
nah,  which  they  had  not  seen  during  the  war ;  they  were  sons  of 
merchants  of  that  city.  I  could  give  them  very  little  information,  ex 
cept  what  we  had  heard  from  the  city  through  the  runaway  soldiers 
at  Fort  Pulaski.  At  last  one  of  them  sai'd  to  the  other,  '  I  would  like 
to  make  the  Yank  a  fire:  look  how  he  is  shivering!  He  will  not  stand 
the  frost  to-night.'  So  they  kindled  me  a  blazing  fire,  which  revived 
my  benumbed  limbs  ;  then  one  of  them  unbuckled  his  blanket,  covered 
me  with  it,  brought  me  some  water,  then  bidding  me  'good-by,'  they 
left  me — not,  however,  till  the  younger  of  them  had  given  me  a  plug 
of  good  tobacco !  May  these  Savannah  boys  be  blessed  even  from 
Hungary,  and  across  the  ocean  may  this  blessing  reach  them!" 

This  incident  of  the  amenities  of  war — the  kindness  of  the 
two  boys  from  Savannah  to  the  wounded  Union  soldier — has 
been  deemed  worthy  of  insertion  here.  If  space  permitted, 
the  writer  could  add  many  touching  personal  experiences 
at  the  battle  of  Olustee  and  on  the  terrible  retreat  there 
from — like  that  of  Sergeant  Twamley  of  Company  I,  who  was 
badly  wounded,  and  who  was  helped  to  escape  to  the  rear  by 
an  artilleryman,  who  gave  him  a  seat  by  his  side  on  a  gun- 
carriage,  and  drove  him  a  torturing  ride  to  the  railroad. 
Lieutenant  Keenan  of  Company  I  was  the  only  officer  of 
the  Forty-eighth  killed.  The  shattered  remnants  of  the 
regiment  finally  reached  Jacksonville  about  nine  o'clock  at 
night,  on  February  25th. 

It  remained  there  until  March  Qth,  when  it  embarked  on 
the  steamer  Maple  Leaf,  for  Palatka,  Fla.,  on  the  St.  John's 
River,  reaching  Palatka  at  daylight  the  next  morning.  The 


O  LUSTER.  137 

town  was  entirely  deserted,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two- 
families,  at  the  time  of  its  occupation  by  the  regiment,  but 
fearing  an  attack  from  the  enemy,  they  threw  up  earth 
works  and  constructed  batteries  in  the  rear  of  the  town,  de 
tails  for  fatigue  duty  in  the  trenches  being  regularly  made 
for  some  days.  The  orange-trees  were  loaded  with  large 
yellow  fruit ;  but  the  oranges  were  rather  sour  for  eating, 
although  they  made  admirable  "  orangeade."  The  gnats 
troubled  the  pickets  more  than  the  enemy  during  the  month 
and  more  that  the  regiment  remained  in  Palatka.  The 
diaries  which  have  been  examined,  and  which  were  written 
while  in  camp  there,  contain  few  items  of  more  importance 
than  the  following  :  "  Killed  a  pig  to-day  and  brought  him 
into  camp." 

There  were  minor  expeditions  made  now  and  then.  Ser 
geant  George  W.  Marten  sends  an  interesting  account  of  one 
up  the  St.  John's  River,  and  there  were  drills  and  inspections 
and  picket  duty,  and  the  ordinary  routine  of  a  soldier's  life,, 
from  March  loth,  when  the  regiment  reached  Palatka, 
to  April  I4th,  when  they  evacuated  it.  Constant  reports, 
however,  that  the  enemy  was  about  to  advance  kept  the 
boys  on  the  qui  vive.  Palatka  while  we  occupied  it  was  a 
peaceful  town.  The  re-enlisted  veterans,  with  the  officers 
who  had  accompanied  them  to  the  North,  returned  to  the 
regiment  while  there.  They  were  cordially  welcomed  backr 
and  greatly  added  to  our  strength. 

A  great  event  was  now  about  to  occur  in  our  history ;  a 
total  change  was  to  take  place  in  the  locality  and  conditions 
of  the  regiment's  career:  for  two  years  and  a  half  it  had 
been  in  the  Department  of  the  South,  doing  valiant  duty 
wherever  it  had  been  assigned.  It  had  been  a  part  of  a  little 
army,  and  yet  as  brave  a  one  as  the  Republic  possessed  ;  but 
the  field  of  its  military  action  had  been  restricted,  and  the 
part  it  had  taken  in  the  solution  of  the  great  problem  of  the 
war  appeared  insignificant,  in  contrast  with  the  achieve 
ments  of  the  great  armies  of  the  North  and  West.  The 
Forty-eighth  Regiment  had  now  reached  the  end  of  its 


138 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


career  in  that  Department.  It  was  about  to  leave  the  little 
army  with  which  it  had  hitherto  operated  amid  the  swamps 
and  the  sea  islands  upon  the  Southern  coast,  and  to  be 
merged  in  the  great  armies  of  the  James  and  the  Potomac, 
and  participate  in  battles  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  of 
world-wide  renown.  Yet  it  was  not  without  sorrow  that  we 
prepared  to  quit  our  old  Department,  with  which  we  had  been 
so  long  associated.  We  were  to  leave  behind  us  the  graves 


LIVE  OAKS  IN  FLORIDA. 

of  many  of  our  dead,  in  the  sands  on  Morris  Island  and  the 
forests  of  Florida,  not  to  speak  of  others  scattered  here  and 
there  along  the  coast. 

It  was  therefore  a  great  change  in  our  career  when,  in 
April,  1864,  we  severed  our  connection  with  the  Department 
of  the  South,  and  united  our  fortunes  with  the  Army  of  the 
James,  in  Virginia.  It 'was,  however,  but  a  matter  of  a  few 
days:  the  regiment  evacuated  Palatka  on  April  I4th,  leaving 


0  LUSTER,  139 

Jacksonville  on  the  steamer  Ben-de-Ford  for  Hilton  Head  on 
April  i6th  ;  spent  one  day  in  bivouac  back  of  Beaufort ;  and 
finally,  at  five  P.M.  on  April  2Oth,  sailed  out  of  Port  Royal 
Harbor,  which  we  had  entered  with  Dupont's  fleet  two  years 
and  a  half  before,  for  the  last  time.  We  were  bound  for 
Fortress  Monroe,  and  the  unknown  destiny  that  awaited  us. 
Tears  came  to  many  eyes  as  the  low  shores  of  South  Carolina 
faded  away  in  the  sea,  and  we  realized  that  we  had  left  be 
hind  us  places  with  which  we  had  grown  familiar,  and  asso 
ciations  never  to  be  forgotten. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know,  if  it  were  possible,  how 
many  of  the  men  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  who  sailed 
into  Port  Royal  Harbor  on  the  Empire  City,  Matanzas,  and 
Belvidere,  in  the  Fall  of  1861,  also  sailed  away  from  it  finally 
on  the  Ben-de-Ford  in  the  spring  of  1864.  If  the  history  of 
the  regiment  had  ended  on  that  day,  it  would  have  been  a 
memorable  one,  but  it  was  destined  yet  to  win  fadeless  lau 
rels  upon  fields  still  more  illustrious. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
Army  of  the  James — April  23,  to  December  31,  1864. 

Gloucester  Point,  Va. — The  Tenth  Army  Corps — Grant — Butler — Gillmore — 
Turner — Barton — Strickland — Review  of  the  Army  of  the  James — May 
5th,  Bermuda  Hundred — "  Gillmore's  Rifles" — May  7th,  Battle  of  Chester 
Heights — May  I2th,  Fort  Darling — May  i6th,  Drury's  Bluff — The  Battle 
in  a  Fog — Losses — Death  of  Captain  Moser — Butler  "bottled  up" — May 
28th,  leave  Bermuda  Hundred  for  Cold  Harbor — The  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac — Back  from  Prison — June  ist  to  I3th,  Battle  of  Cold  Harbor^A  Gal 
lant  Charge — Colonel  Barton  Wounded — Loss  of  the  Colors — Porch — Cas 
ualties — In  the  Rifle-pits — Grant's  Change  of  Base — Covering  the  "  Re 
treat" —  Back  to  Bermuda  Hundred — President  Lincoln — Petersburg — 
Change  of  Corps  Commanders — Gillmore — Brooks — Birney — Barton's 
Brigade — June  3oth,  an  Assault  Ordered — Barton's  Caution — Picket 
Duty — Duty  in  the  Trenches — July  3oth,  the  Mine — The  Explosion — The 
Assault — The  Repulse — Colored  Soldiers  again — A  Fatal  Delay — Death  of 
Major  Swartwout — Back  to  Bermuda  Hundred — Deep  Bottom — Straw 
berry  Plains — August  i6th,  Death  of  Lieutenants  Tantum  and  Sayres — 
Death  of  Captain  D'Arcy — Back  to  Petersburg — Home  after  Three  Years — 
Charge  at  New  Market  Heights— Fort  Gilman — Death  of  General  Bir 
ney — General  Terry — Chapin's  Farm — Winter  Quarters— General  Barton 
Resigns — The  Twenty-fourth  Corps — General  Ord. 

HPHE  regiment  landed  at  Gloucester  Point,  on  the  York 
River,  Va.,  on  April  23,  1864.  It  now  belonged  to 
the  Second  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Tenth  Corps,  Army 
of  the  James.  The  respective  commanders  were  as  follows  : 
The  Army  of  the  James  was  commanded  by  Major-General 
Benjamin  F.  Butler;  the  Tenth  Corps,  by  Major-General 
Quincy  A.  Gillmore  ;  the  Second  Division,  by  Brigadier- 
General  John  W.  Turner;  the  Second  Brigade,  by  Colonel 
William  B.  Barton  ;  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment,  by  Lieute 
nant-Colonel  Dudley  W.  Strickland.  The  troops  composing 
the  Tenth  Corps  were  mostly  our  old  comrades,  with  whom 
we  had  been  associated  in  the  Department  of  the  South. 


ARMY   OF    THE  JAMES.  14! 

The  Army  of  the  James  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
moving  westward  up  the  James  River,  and  if  possible  taking 
the  cities  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg,  at  the  same  time 
that  Grant  moved  southward  from  the  Potomac  by  way  of 
the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania  against  Lee. 

Lieutenant-General  Ulysses  S.  Grant  had  now  assumed 
the  supreme  command  of  all  the  Union  armies.  Hencefor 
ward  they  moved  like  clock-work  in  obedience  to  his  will, 
until  the  final  overthrow  of  the  rebellion.  The  right  man 
had  been  found  at  last  who  could  lead  his  country's  armies 


s 

GENERAL  GRANT. 

to  victory  ;  a  quiet  man,  who  had  come  by  way  of  Donaldson 
and  Shiloh  and  Vicksburg,  and  whose  military  genius  will 
rank  in  history  with  that  of  Marlborough,  Hannibal,  and 
Napoleon ;  a  man  of  relentless  and  inflexible  determination, 
whom  disasters  could  not  dismay,  and  who  in  the  hour  of 
final  victory  could  be  magnanimous  as  in  the  hour  of  fiery 
battles  he  was  unshaken. 

General  B.  F.  Butler,  to  whom  Grant  had  intrusted  the 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  may  not  have  been  a 
great  soldier,  but  he  was  a  conspicuous  politician  and  military 
governor,  and  his  care  for  the  lives  of  his  soldiers,  the  writer 


142  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMEN  7\  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

feels,  has  never  been  fully  appreciated.  His  career  in  New 
Orleans  had  been  magnificent ;  he  had  coined  the  word  "  con 
traband,"  and  he  had  quelled  the  riots  in  the  city  of  New 
York  by  his  very  presence.  If  he  was  not,  therefore,  a  great 
military  genius,  he  was  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  war.  The 
writer  first  saw  him  as  he  stepped  on  board  the  steamer  City 
of  New  York,  which  reached  Fortress  Monroe  on  April  17, 
1864,  with  400  exchanged  prisoners  from  Mayo's  Prison  Hos 
pital  in  Richmond.  His  quaint  and  well-known  figure,  gor 
geously  uniformed,  strode  up  and  down  the  decks,  and  at 
the  sight  of  the  emaciated  bodies  of  the  starved  and  frozen 
men,  some  in  the  first  stages  of  idiocy,  whom  the  Confeder 
ates  had  sent  back  to  the  Union  lines,  he  stamped  his  foot 
in  wrath,  muttering,  "  Damnable  !  damnable!" 

General  Turner,  the  division  commander,  proved  himself 
a  brave  soldier ;  our  own  Colonel  Barton,  the.  brigade  com 
mander,  had  long  ago  demonstrated  to  us  at  Olustee  and 
Fort  Wagner  that  he  knew  no  fear. 

On  April  3Oth  there  was  a  grand  review  of  all  the  troops 
at  Gloucester  Point  by  General  Butler,  accompanied  by  the 
corps  and  division  commanders.  It  was  an  imposing  array 
of  30,000  men,  and  occupied  the  entire  day  from  eleven  A.M. 
until  night.  The  army  marched  in  review  "  in  column  by 
division."  The  bronzed  veterans  from  the  .Department  of 
the  South  won  hearty  cheers.  It  is  noteworthy  that  we 
were  destined  to  meet  as  our  immediate  antagonists  in  the 
battles  on  the  James  River  our  old  enemies  in  the  South. 
Beauregard  still  commanded  the  Confederate  army  that  op 
posed  us,  and  Colquitt's  Georgians,  who  had  defeated  us  at 
Olustee,  fought  us  again  and  again  in  the  battles  in  Virginia. 

On  May  4th,  the*  Forty-eighth  embarked  on  the  steamer 
Delaware,  and  sailed  down  the  York  River  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  up  the  James  to  Bermuda  Hundred  ;  there  we 
landed  on  May  6th.  Bermuda  Hundred  is  the  name  of  an 
irregular  triangle  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Appomattoxr 
and  lying  between  it  and  the  James  River.  Here  Butler 
hastily  threw  up  a  line  of  intrenchments  from  river  to  river, 


ARMY   OF    THE  JAMES.  143 

while  the  gun-boats  in  either  stream  completely  covered  each 
flank  of  his  army.  Thus,  in  twenty-four  hours  after  the  ex 
pedition  started,  it  had  gained  a  commanding  foothold  within 
fifteen  miles  of  the  city  of  Richmond  in  a  straight  line,  and 
not  more  than  eight  miles  from  Petersburg.  The  movement 
was  a  surprise  to  the  Confederates,  and  caused  great  conster 
nation  at  Richmond.  The  rapid  and  vigorous  advance  either 
upon  Petersburg  or  Richmond  at  that  time,  it  is  now  known, 
would  have  succeeded  in  taking  either  city.  It  was  Butler's 


BUTLER'S  LINES  AT  BERMUDA  HUNDRED. 

lost  opportunity.  But  Beauregard  was  an  agile  antagonist. 
With  remarkable  energy,  he  rapidly  concentrated  a  respecta 
ble  army  to  oppose  us,  and  on  the  very  next  day  after  our 
landing  (May  /th)  gave  us  battle  at  Chester  Heights. 

The  troops  had  turned  in  all  their  heavy  camp  equipage 
and  superfluous  baggage  before  leaving  Gloucester  Point,  and 
were  now  in  light  marching  order  ;  each  man  carried  his 
piece  of  a  shelter-tent,  his  blanket,  overcoat,  and  whatever 
he  needed  upon  his  back.  The  roads  on  the  line  of  our 
march  from  Bermuda  Hundred  soon  became  littered  with 


144  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

blankets,  tents,  and  clothing  of  all  kinds,  which  the  men  had 
thrown  away ;  fifty  pounds  on  one's  back  soon  gets  heavy 
after  a  few  miles  of  marching,  and  whenever  we  halted  for  a 
rest  the, men  would  examine  their  knapsacks  and  throw 
away  whatever  they  could  spare.  Knapsacks  that  had  been 
packed  full  at  the  start  soon  were  well-nigh  empty. 

The  skill  of  Gillmore's  soldiers  in  throwing  up  the  earth 
works  at  Bermuda  Hundred  caused  much  laughter.  Gill 
more's  achievements  in  engineering,  and  the  victories  he  had 
won  in  the  Department  of  the  South  by  the  skilful  using 
•of  the  spade,  caused  those  useful  utensils  to  be  facetiously 
named  "  Gillmore's  rifles."  "  Spades  were  trumps"  in  the 
hands  of  the  veterans  from  Morris  Island. 

Butler  was  not  yet,  however,  quite  "  bottled  up"  at  Ber 
muda  Hundred.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  found  that 
their  march  from  the  Potomac  to  Richmond  straightfor 
ward  met  some  obstructions  which  detained  them,  and  But 
ler  not  being  ordered  to  move  against  Richmond  on  the 
south  until  he  should  hear  the  noise  of  battle  from  the  north 
side  of  the  James,  was  compelled  in  the  absence  of  definite 
orders  to  determine  his  own  course  of  action  ;  perhaps  un 
fortunately,  he  did  determine  to  stand  largely  upon  the  de 
fensive,  and  to  occupy  himself  chiefly  in  destroying  the 
communications  of  Richmond  on  the  south,  and  preventing 
thereby  reinforcements  from  reaching  Lee.  The  first  effort 
he  made  in  that  direction  after  he  found  his  armies  securely 
intrenched  at  Bermuda  Hundred  was  on  May  /th. 

The  Richmond  and  Petersburg  Railroad  was,  on  the  aver 
age,  about  three  miles  in  front  of  his  line  of  intrenchments. 
He  determined  to  destroy  it,  and  started  out  bravely  enough 
on  the  7th.  Beauregard,  however,  had  succeeded  in  throw 
ing  troops  into  Petersburg  the  night  before,  and  when  Tur 
ner's  division  reached  Chester  Heights  they  found  the  Con 
federates  in  some  force  in  their  front.  A  skirmish  ensued, 
which  was  indeed  on  the  part  of  the  Forty-eighth — as  well 
as  some  other  regiments  who  found  themselves  in  the  hot 
test  of  the  fray — a  square  stand-up  fight.  The  regiment  lost 


ARMY  OF    THE  JAMES.  145 

thirty-nine  men  ;  and  the  Forty-eighth  was  the  only  regiment 
that  succeeded  in  reaching  the  railroad,  and  crossed  it  to  a 
mound  beyond.  They  also  destroyed  the  railroad  for  some 
distance.  The  total  Federal  loss  was  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty ;  we  gained  some  advantage  in  the  skirmish,  but 
finally  withdrew.  It  was  subsequently  learned  that  had  the 
attack  been  made  with  more  vigor,  not  only  the  railroad  but 
the  city  of  Petersburg  might  have  been  captured. 

On  May  I2th  Butler  pushed  a  still  heavier  column  for 
ward,  General  "  Baldy"  Smith  marching  up  the  turnpike  to 
the  right  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Darling,  and  the  left  un 
der  General  Gillmore  following  the  line  of  the  railroad 
farther  westward.  The  Confederates  fell  back  behind  Proc 
tor's  Creek,  and  occupied  a  fortified  line — one  of  the  out 
works  of  Fort  Darling.  Gillmore,  however,  turned  the  right 
of  their  line,  and  by  a  brilliant  dash  carried  their  position  ; 
he  secured  also  a  large  number  of  prisoners  ;  but  the  resist 
ance  was  stubborn,  and  our  losses  were  considerable. 

And  now  occurred  the  battle  of  Drewry's  Bluff.  The  cross-- 
purposes  of  two  opposing  generals  were  never  better  illus 
trated.  Butler,  feeling  his  way,  had  determined  on  the 
morrow  upon  a  general  attack  upon  Beauregard.  Beaure- 
gard,  on  the  other  hand,  had  resolved  to  crush  Butler  by 
assaulting  his  lines.  Both  Butler  and  Beauregard  com 
manded  their  armies  in  person.  The  sun  set  clear  and  the 
sky  was  bright  on  the  evening  of  May  I5th,  but  during  the 
night  a  most  impenetrable  fog  arose.  Under  cover  of  the 
fog  and  the  darkness  in  the  early  morning — at  3.30  o'clock— 
the  Confederate  columns  made  a  furious  assault  on  the  right 
of  Butler's  lines,  and  now  occurred  a  most  remarkable  battle  : 
the  rebel  columns  swept  through  the  Union  lines  on  the 
right,  but  in  the  fog  soon  became  thoroughly  mingled  with 
them. 

Butler  had  been  poorly  prepared  for  the  unexpected  as 
sault,  and  unhappily  his  weak  point  was  on  his  right,  where 
Beauregard  struck  him.  Between -Butler's  right  and  the 
river  there  was  a  piece  of  open  country  for  a  mile,  which 

10 


146  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

'was  only  picketed  by  a  single  regiment  of  negro  cavalry. 
Beauregard  seems  to  have  discovered  this,  the  night  before  ; 
at  any  rate  he  took  advantage  of  it  that  early  morning  and 
turned  Butler's  right  successfully,  and  drove  his  forces  back. 
The  fog,  however,  which  had  served  his  purpose  so  well  in 
masking  his  attack,  now  thwarted  him  ;  for,  as  already  said, 
his  forces  became  mixed  with  the  Union  troops  so  that  the 
greatest  confusion  ensued.  You  did  not  know  friend  from 
foe,  yet  the  Confederates  pressed  on  in  their  efforts  to  seize 
the  road  leading  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  when,  happily,  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  New  York  and  Ninth  Maine 
(two  regiments  which  Gillmore  had  sent  to  reinforce  Smith) 
met  them  with  such  stubborn  resistance,  that  the  astonished 
rebels,  unaware  because  of  the  fog  of  the  fewness  of  the 
men  who  opposed  them,  first  halted  and  then  withdrew. 
Thus  the  focr  in  turn  served  both  armies. 

o 

Then  Beauregard  turned  his  attention  to  the  forces  occu 
pying  the  breastworks  at  Drewry's  Bluff,  and  massing  his 
columns  hurled  them  three  times  in  succession  in  desperate 
assaults  against  Gillmore's  position  ;  but  with  unflinching- 
steadfastness  the  veterans  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  who  remem 
bered  the  lessons  of  Fort  Wagner  and  had  learned  the  ad 
vantage  of  defending  earthworks  as  against  the  peril  of  as 
saulting  them,  three  times  drove  them  back.  The  first  two 
of  those  three  assaults  were  immediately  upon  our  front,  the 
third  was  to  our  left.  The  following  extract  is  from  the 
pen  of  Mr.  O.  G.  Sawyer,  a  war-correspondent  of  the  Tenth 
Corps : 

"  The  enemy  hurled  their  column  upon  Turner's  division,  which  held 
the  right  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  joining  the  Eighteenth  Corps.  They 
formed  in  a  beautiful  manner  and  moved  steadily  on  Barton's  brigade, 
on  the  right  of  Turner's  division,  advancing  as  if  upon  parade,  and  not 
firing  a  single  shot.  Waiting  until  they  had  reached  a  good  distance 
for  effective  range,  the  brigade  poured  into  their  lines  such  a  terrific  fire 
that  the  line  melted  away ;  and  the  thinned  and  broken  ranks,  after 
vainly  endeavoring  to  advance  against  a  storm  of  bullets,  fled,  with  ter 
rible  loss,  to  the  wroods  in  their  rear.  The  volleys  were  as  continuous 
and  heavy  as  the  musketry  of  a  brigade  could  well  be,  and  such  as  no 


ARMY   OF    THE  JAMES.  147 

living  beings  could  stand  against.  The  rebels  were  scattered  like  chaff, 
and  broke  for  the  woods  in  a  disorganized  mass.  After  great  exertion 
the  line  of  attack  was  again  formed,  and  again  a  brigade  advanced  in 
splendid  style  against  our  line.  Again  did  they  receive  the  terrible 
fire,  and  pushed  steadily  on  until  a  fourth  of  them  lay  killed  and 
wounded  on  the  field,  when  they  broke  and  rushed  quickly  to  the 
cover  of  the  woods.  Our  boys  gave  them  hearty  cheers,  and  sent  a 
volley  after  them.  The  rebels  fought  with  more  than  their  usual  dash 
and  bravery  that  day,  as  they  seemed  determined  to  crush  our  army  as 
the  only  way.  to  save  Richmond.  They  met  with  a  bloody  failure. 
Our  men  fought  splendidly,  and  the  Tenth  Corps  has  established  a 
reputation  for  fighting  qualities  that  will  equal  that  of  any  in  the 
army.  General  Gillmore  displayed  high  qualities  in  the  field,  the 
division  commanders  also.  There  were  many  parallels  between  this 
battle  and  the  battle  of  Inkerman  in  the  Crimea — the  hour,  for  instance, 
at  which  the  attack  was  made,  the  fog,  the  surprise,  the  overwhelming 
numbers  of  the  assailants,  the  sturdy  resistance  they  encountered,  the 
reinforcement  of  the  besiegers,  and  the  final  repulse  of  the  enemy. 
Then  there  were  bayonet  charges,  hand-to-hand  encounters,  and  deeds 
of  heroism  around  which  Obscurity  will  forever  fold  her  opaque 
mantle." 


The  battle  lasted  for  thirteen  mortally  contested  hours. 
Butler's  loss  in  the  entire  engagement  was  about  three 
thousand  ;  that  of  the  enemy  was  much  greater.  When 
the  rebels  tried  their  hand  at  assaulting  earthworks  strongly 
defended  by  infantry  well  armed,  they  found  it  as  difficult 
to  carry  them  as  we  had  done. 

The  Forty -eighth  was  in  the  very  heart  of  the  battle 
of  Drewry's  Bluff,  and  it  acquitted  itself  with  the  same 
steadfast  courage  in  defending  fortifications  which  it  had 
demonstrated  in  assaulting  them.  Beauregard  subsequently 
succeeded  in  driving  back  Butler's  right ;  that  made  the 
intrenchments  occupied  by  Gillmore  untenable,  since  the 
enemy  could  flank  them  ;  our  forces  therefore  were  com 
pelled  to  withdraw.  This  was  done  successfully,  and  Gen 
eral  Butler  retired  behind  his  fortifications  at  Bermuda 
Hundred. 

Beauregard,  however,  was  grievously  disappointed  in  his 
endeavor  to  demolish  Butler's  army.  The  fault  was  laid  to 


148  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

the  rebel  General  Whiting,  who  had  been  ordered  to  strike 
Gillmore  heavily  and  cut  off  the  Union  line  of  retreat,  and 
who  failed  to  accomplish  his  task.  Beauregard  insists  that 
Whiting's  failure  was  all  that  saved  Butler's  army  from  an 
nihilation. 

It  had  been  but  ten  days  since  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment 
had  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  yet  it  had  already  par 
ticipated  in  one  heavy  skirmish  and  one  desperate  battle,  in 
both  of  which  it  had  acquitted  itself  with  honor.  It  had 
lost  three  officers  and  seventy-six  men.  Captain  Moser  of 
Company  C  was  shot  through  the  heart. 

When  Butler  found  himself  back  in  his  intrenchments  at 
Bermuda  Hundred  he  devised  a  plan  to  cross  the  Appomat- 
tox  and  march  against  Petersburg  ;  before  he  was  ready  for 
its  execution,  however,  he  received  orders  to  detach  one 
corps  of  his  army  and  a  division  of  the  other,  and  send  them 
to  reinforce  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  now  approaching 
Richmond  from  the  North.  It  was  deemed  that  the  re 
mainder  of  his  forces  were  sufficient  to  hold  the  intrench 
ments.  This  was  a  grievous  disappointment  to  Butler,  de 
priving  him  of  all  power  for  further  aggressive  movements ; 
and  his  complaint  to  General  Grant  (which  gave  to  his  posi 
tion  at  Bermuda  Hundred  its  quaint  name)  contained  the 
phrase,  "The  necessities  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  have 
bottled  me  up  at  Bermuda  Hundred."  Butler  selected  the 
Eighteenth  Corps  ("  Baldy  Smith's  ")  and  our  division  (Turn 
er's)  of  the  Tenth  Corps  to  form  the  reinforcement  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  ;  temporarily,  therefore,  the  second 
division  of  the  Tenth  Corps  was  united  with  the  Eighteenth 
Corps.  On  May  28th  we  marched  to  City  Point,  embarking 
on  the  steamer  Delaware  on  the  2Qth,  and  proceeded  down 
the  James  River,  landing  on  May  3 1st  at  White  House,  on 
the  Pamunky  River,  marching  nearly  all  night  and  all  the 
next  day  through  terrible  heat  and  dust,  and  joining  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  on  the  battle-field  of  Cold  Harbor, 
late  in  the  afternoon  of  June  1st. 

Meanwhile  a  convalescent  camp  had  been  left  behind  at 


ARMY  OF   THE  JAMES.  149 

Bermuda  Hundred,  in  which  were  a  number  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  who  had  been  unable  to  make  the  hard  march.  They 
were  assigned,  nevertheless,  to  picket  duty  daily  in  front 
of  the  intrenchments. 

Here  the  writer  rejoined  the  regiment  in  the  latter  part 
of  May.  Ten  months  had  passed  since  his  separation  from 
them  on  the  parapets  of  Fort  Wagner;  for  nine  months  he 
had  been  in  rebel  prisons — in  Charleston  and  Columbia,  S.  C. ; 
in  Libby,  on  Belle  Island,  and  at  Mayo's  Prison  Hospital  in 
Richmond.  The  most  of  those  who  had  been  taken  prisoner 
with  him  on  the  bank  at  Wagner  had  perished  in  the  Con 
federate  prison-pens.  But  few  ever  returned. 

The  picket-line  at  Bermuda  Hundred  had  an  adventure 
one  night  that  deserves  a  passing  notice.  The  Confederate 
lines  in  our  front,  being  found  weakly  defended  one  day, 
were  carried  easily  by  assault.  They  were  held  for  one 
night,  and  the  videttes  thrown  far  forward  in  their  rear. 
The  writer  was  one  of  them,  and  he  remembers  spending 
that  night  hiding  behind  a  tree,  watching  out  for  "  rebels" 
in  the  woods  half  a  mile  away.  He  recalls  vividly  also  their 
countercharge  in  the  morning,  and  the  way  in  which,  from 
his  advanced  position  on  the  vidette  line,  at  loss  of  cartridge- 
box,  musket,  and  all  accoutrements,  and  only  by  the  most 
strenuous  use  of  sterling  legs,  he  succeeded  in  escaping  a 
trip  to  rebel  prisons  again.  The  enemy  retook  their  earth 
work:  indeed,  there  was  no  attempt  made  to  hold  it. 

Meanwhile  the  regiment  was  once  more  engaged  in  a  ter 
rible  battle  at  Cold  Harbor.  Within  half  an  hour  after  they 
had  reached  the  battle-field,  they  were  ordered  forward  to  the 
attack.  [The  writer  adopts  the  name  Cold  Harbor,  usually 
used  in  Federal  reports  of  the  battle  ;  the  proper  name,  how 
ever,  is  Cool  Arbor,  the  word  being  derived  from  the  name  of 
a  tavern  in  the  woods,  which  had  been  a  well-known  resort 
to  citizens  of  Richmond  since  Revolutionary  times.] 

When  General  W.  F.  Smith,  with  the  Eighteenth  Corps 
and  one  division  of  the  Tenth  from  the  Army  of  the  James, 
reached  the  battle-field  he  was  assigned  his  position  on  the 


150 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


right  of  Wright's  corps ;  Smith's  forces  numbered  sixteen 
thousand.  The  two  armies  of  Grant  and  Lee  now  confronted 
each  other  on  the  old  battle-ground  which  Lee  and  McClel- 
lan  had  contested  two  years  before.  Although  Smith's  troops 
had  made  a  forced  march  of  twenty-five  miles,  no  sooner 
were  they  in  position  than  they  were  ordered  to  advance. 
Between  the  two  armies  at  that  point  was  a  broad,  gently 
undulating  field,  then  a  thin  line  of  woods,  beyond  which, 


POSITION  AT  COLD  HARBOR. 

and  in  front  of  a  denser  forest,  the  rebels  occupied  a  line  of 
rifle-pits.  Over  this  open  field,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  forgetful  now  of  their  fatigue  from  their  long  and 
dusty  march,  Smith's  forces  rushed,  making  a  most  furious 
charge,  and  in  the  face  of  a  murderous  fire  captured  the  first 
line  of  rifle-pits,  taking  about  six  hundred  prisoners.  Then 
they  pushed  on,  assaulting  a  second  and  much  stronger  line  ; 
but  the  rebels  held  it  firmly  till  night  came  on,  and  the  strug- 


ARMY  OF    THE  JAMES.  151 

gle  ended.  In  those  two  desperate  assaults  our  forces  lost 
fully  two  thousand  men ;  but  they  held  every  inch  of  the 
ground  they  won,  and  bivouacked  that  night  at  the  advanced 
point  which  they  reached.  They  were  partly  in  the  shelter 
of  the  thin  woods,  but  they  found  little  rest  that  night,  for 
the  enemy  made  many  desperate  efforts  to  retake  their  lost 
rifle-pits,  and  annoyed  us  throughout  the  night  by  a  con 
stant  fire. 

The  part  of  the  regiment  in  those  famous  assaults  was  a 
gallant  one.  Colonel  Barton,  the  brigade  commander,  was 
wounded,  and  in  the  absence  of  superior  officers  the  com 
mand  of  tjie  regiment  ultimately  devolved  upon  Captain 
Nichols.  Lieutenant  Ingram  was  shot  at  the  very  moment 
of  taking  the  rifle-pits.  Among  the  prisoners  there  was 
found  a  female  officer  of  artillery,  and  it  was  in  the  struggle 
for  the  second  line  of  rifle-pits  that  Color-Sergeant  Porch 
was  shot,  and  the  colors  of  the  regiment  were  lost. 

It  may  be  doubted  if  in  the  whole  history  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  a  more  gallant  deed  will  be  chronicled  than  that  of 
the  death  of  Porch.  He  had  been  falsely  twitted  with  cow 
ardice  at  Drewry's  Bluff,  because  he  had  taken  the  colors  to 
the  rear  when  ordered  to  do  so,  when  our  forces  retired  ; 
some  one,  who  did  not  know  that  he  was  but  obeying  orders, 
had  accused  him  of  showing  u  the  white-feather."  No  charge 
could  have  stung  his  noble  soul  more  keenly.  Porch  was  a 
gentleman  and  a  hero.  He  had  been  a  student  at  Penning- 
ton  Seminary,  N.  J.,  in  i86i,and  had  enlisted  under  Captain 
Knowles — the  first  to  write  his  name  on  the  roll  of  Company 
D.  He  was  an  educated,  well-to-do  boy  from  New  Jersey, 
and  his  death  was  a  spectacle  which  his  comrades  ought 
never  to  forget.  Tantum  was  his  bosom-friend,  and  just  as 
our  men  reached  that  second  line  of  rifle-pits,  that  bristled 
with  bayonets  and  swarmed  with  rebels,  Tantum  cried  to 
Porch,  "  Now,  Billy,  show  them  that  you  are  no  coward." 
To  mount  that  bank  was  instant  death,  and  yet  without 
hesitancy  and  without  a  word  Porch  leaped  up  it  alone :  he 
was  shot  dead  by  a  score  of  bullets,  and  throwing  his  arms 


152  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

around  his  flag,  fell  with  it  into  the  midst  of  the  foe.  Not 
another  man  followed  him.  He  was  left  alone  there  in  the 
keeping  of  his  flag  and  of  glory. 

So  hot  was  the  fire  that  day,  that  not  only  Porch  but 
every  member  of  his  color-guard  was  shot  down.  The  loss 
of  the  colors,  although  that  was  caused  by  the  high  valor 
with  which  they  were  borne,  was  a  serious  blow  to  the 
regiment.  To  lose  your  colors  in  battle  was  esteemed  a 
reproach ;  in  our  case  it  was,  on  the  contrary,  a  high  honor. 
That  was  rightfully  recognized  at  headquarters,  for  although 
a  general  order  had  been  issued,  that  a  regiment  losing  its 
colors  should  not  carry  them  again  for  three  months,  yet  a 
special  order  was  issued  permitting  the  Forty-eighth  to 
carry  colors  immediately. 

And  now  followed  days  and  days  of  fierce  fighting,  of 
charge  and  countercharge,  of  holding  rifle-pits  under  the 
fatal  fire  of  sharp-shooters,  and  of  individual  deeds  of  valor 
which  the  writer  greatly  regrets  that  he  has  not  space  or 
time  to  note. 

"  Baldy"  Smith's  forces  from  the  Army  of  the  James,  vet 
erans  as  they  were  from  the  South,  and  now  for  the  first 
time  merged  into  the  great  Army  of  the  Potomac,  were  yet 
a  distinct  portion  of  it.  They  did  the  fiercest  fighting  at 
Cold  Harbor,  and  won  the  only  victories  of  the  Union  army 
there.  Perhaps  they  remembered  that  they  were  fighting 
now  under  the  eye  and  command  of  the  greatest  soldier  of 
the  war,  and  in  association  with  an  army  which  was  immortal. 
The  high  honor  was  reserved  for  them  to  cover  the  move 
ment  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  the  left,  when  Grant's 
final  great  march  by  the  flank  transferred  his  army  from 
the  front  of  Richmond  to  the  front  of  Petersburg. 

On  June  2d  the  Forty-eighth  held  a  portion  of  the  rebel 
line  on  the  left  of  that  which  had  been  captured  on  the 
night  of  June  1st.  That  night  Lieutenant  Barrett  was 
again  wounded — a  wound  still  more  serious  than  that  re 
ceived  at  Wagner.  The  casualties  of  the  regiment  dur 
ing  the  first  twenty-four  hours  at  Cold  Harbor  were  five 


ARMY  OF   THE  JAMES.  153 

officers  killed,  four  wounded,  and  eighty  enlisted  men  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing.  On  June  3d  the  regiment  was 
moved  from  point  to  point  along  the  Union  lines;  hard 
fighting  was  constantly  in  progress.  On  June  4th  it  was 
moved  to  a  still  more  exposed  position.  On  June  5th, 
6th,  7th,  8th,  and  Qth  it  was  constantly  in  the  rifle-pits,  un 
der  a  fire  that  never  ceased  by  night  or  day — first  on  the 
right,  then  on  the  left,  then  at  the  front ;  and  everywhere  it 
sustained  its  reputation  for  valor  and  efficiency. 

The  ground  between  the  lines  of  the  contending  armies 
was  strewn  with  dead  and  dying  soldiers  of  either  side,  but 
so  incessant  and  so  hot  was  the  firing  that  it  was  certain 
death  to  attempt  to  reach  them.  The  crash  of  artillery,  the 
ceaseless  rattle  of  musketry,  the  glare  of  flashing  guns  by 
night  and  day,  the  "  yells"  of  the  Confederates  and  the 
"cheers"  of  the  Federals,  were  constantly  heard.  Indeed  it 
was  a  succession  of  battles — none  of  them  decisive. 

On  the  night  of  June  nth  special  precautions  were  or 
dered,  from  which  the  men  at  the  front  inferred  something 
definite  was  now  about  to  occur.  The  next  day  rumors 
were  current  that  once  more  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was 
to  change  the  base  of  its  operations.  At  dark  that  night 
the  Forty-eighth  relieved  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  in 
the  rifle-pits  on  the  left,  and  as  they  moved  to  the  place  as 
signed  them  they  wrere  informed  that  Burnside's  Ninth 
corps  had  already  gone,  and  that  "  Baldy"  Smith's  forces 
from  the  Army  of  the  James  were  to  hold  the  lines  until 
Meade's  army  should  get  away.  The  fear  was  not  unwar 
ranted  that  they  were  to  be  sacrificed  for  the  salvation  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

The  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  was  the  fiercest  of  that  series  of 
desperate  encounters  between  Grant  and  Lee  which  began 
in  the  Wilderness.  At  Cold  Harbor  alone  the  National  loss 
was  reported  as  13,153  ;  the  Confederate  losses  were  much 
less,  since  they  constantly  fought  behind  intrenchments. 
Grant's  entire  losses  from  the  time  he  started  upon  that  cam- 


154  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   K  5.   VOLS. 

paign  (May  4th)  up  to  his  crossing  of  the  James  River  (June 
1 2th)  are  estimated  at  the  enormous  figure  of  60,000. 

Grant's  great  object  had  been  the  destruction  or  the  diV 
persion  of  Lee's  army  at  points  north  of  Richmond.  Thisr 
despite  the  terrible  battles  he  had  fought,  he  had  failed  to 
do.  Yet  he  was  not  dismayed.  He  now  conceived  the  bold 
project  of  throwing  his  army  to  the  south  side  of  the  James 
by  a  grand  flank  movement,  and  in  that  manner  cut  off  the 
chief  sources  of  supply  of  Lee's  army  from  the  south  and 
southwest,  and  thus  compel  its  surrender.  It  is  well  known 
to  history  how  he  accomplished  it.  The  withdrawal  of  a 
great  army  from  the  very  front  of  an  enemy  is  a  most  diffi 
cult  task.  It  depends  largely  for  its  success  upon  the  fidelity 
of  the  thin  lines  who  are  assigned  to  hold  the  rifle-pits  to  the 
last  ;  and  that  is  the  precise  work  which  we  did  at  Cold  Har 
bor,  and  so  successfully,  that  the  flank  movement  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  across  the  James  is  conceded  to  have 
been  one  of  the  most  brilliant  military  achievements  in  his 
tory. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  I3th  the  men  of  the 
Forty-eighth  in  the  advanced  rifle-pits  received  orders  to 
finally  evacuate  their  works.  Word  was  passed  in  whispers 
from  man  to  man,  and  seven  companies  were  safely  with 
drawn  to  the  rear.  There  yet  remained,  however,  three 
companies  of  the  regiment,  who  were  posted  in  the  very  ad 
vanced  rifle-pits,  and  to  withdraw  them  from  the  very  front 
was  a  work  of  the  greatest  difficulty.  Yet  it  was  success 
fully  accomplished  that  early  morning,  with  the  loss  of  but  a 
few  men,  who  were  necessarily  left  behind  and  sacrificed  for 
the  safety  of  the  rest,  and  the  forces  retired  in  good  order 
to  White  House,  where  their  transports  awaited  them. 
Nothing  in  the  history  of  the  war  was  finer  than  the  hold 
ing  of  the  lines  at  Cold  Harbor  during  the  change  of  base 
by  Grant's  army.  It  only  could  have  been  accomplished 
by  veteran  soldiers  in  the  highest  stages  of  discipline. 

On  June  I4th  the  regiment*  sailed  from  White  House 
down  the  Pamunky  River  and  up  the  James,  and  late  in  the 


ARMY  OF   THE  JAMES.  15$. 

afternoon  of  the  1 5th  reached  again  its  old  intrenchments  at 
Bermuda  Hundred. 

It  was  early  the  next  morning,  while  the  boys  were  yet 
asleep  on  the  ground,  that  the  writer  found  himself  once 
more  in  the  midst  of  his  old  regiment.  It  was  within  one 
month  and  one  day  of  a  year  since  he  had  been  separated 
from  them — that  fiery  night  on  the  banks  of  Wagner.  The 
change  that  had  come  to  the  regiment  was  better  realized 
by  him  because  of  his  long  absence  than  by  those  who  had 
been  constantly  present  with  it.  The  clean  uniforms,  the 
burnished  guns,  the  shining  buttons,  the  white  gloves,  and 
all  the  fineries  of  war  that  had  signalized  our  long  stay  at 
Fort  Pulaski,  and  that  the  regiment  had  carried  with  it  up 
to  the  very  guns  at  Wagner,  were  now  entirely  gone.  Hard 
usage,  terrible  campaigns,  fatal  battles,  and  tiresome  marches 
had  thinned  its  ranks  and  tarnished  buttons  and  "  scales," 
and  destroyed  their  fine  uniforms,  but  had  not  broken  their 
loyal  spirits.  Such  had  been  the  changes  in  the  personnel 
of  the  regiment,  that  I  found  myself  well-nigh  a  stranger. 
In  the  former  days  the  "Colonel's  orderly"  had  known 
everybody,  and  the  amateur  actors  of  the  Barton  Dramatic 
Association  had  been  known  by  all.  Only  a  little  group  of 
those  with  whom  I  had  been  intimate  remained.  Very 
many  of  the  men  who  had  formerly  been  privates,  like  my 
self,  had  been  promoted  to  commissioned  officers.  William 
J.  Carlton,  for  instance,  who  had  been  third  sergeant,  was 
now  captain  of  Company  D,  and  John  M.  Tantum,  who  had 
been  orderly  sergeant,  was  now  first  lieutenant,  and  com 
manded  the  company.  Similar  changes  had  occurred  no 
doubt  in  every  other  company  of  the  regiment. 

Great  and  important  military  movements  now  rapidly 
succeeded  each  other  in  our  vicinity.  On  June  I7th  and 
1 8th  the  Sixth  and  Eighteenth  Corps  were  near  us,  while 
the  Second,  Fifth,  and  Ninth  were  on  our  left.  In  company 
with  the  whole  army  we  marched  toward  Petersburg.  The 
knowledge  which  the  private  soldier  possessed  of  the  move 
ments  of  a  great  army  was  vague  and  indefinite.  Many 


156  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  AT.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

mistakes  were  made,  and  opportunities  were  allowed  to  pass 
unimproved,  which  cost  the  Republic  dear,  but  of  which  we 
then  had  little  knowledge,  and  which  it  is  no  part  of  a 
merely  regimental  historian  to  chronicle. 

On  the  afternoon  of  June  22d  President  Lincoln,  accom 
panied  by  General  Butler  and  a  glittering  cavalcade,  rode 
by  our  intrenchments.  We  greeted  the  immortal  President 
with  enthusiastic  cheers. 

On  June  23d  we  finally  reached  the  position  in  the  forti 
fications  in  front  of  Petersburg  which  we  were  destined  to 
•occupy  for  weeks ;  that  position  was  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  and  just  to  the 
left  of  where  the  fortifications  crossed  it.  We  were  immedi- 
.ately  on  the  right  of  Burnside's  Ninth  Corps.  We  were 
now  confronted  by  Lee's  entire  army,  behind  formidable 
lines  of  redans,  redoubts,  and  infantry  parapets,  with  skil 
fully  contrived  outer  defences  of  abatis,  stakes,  and  chevaux- 
•de-frise.  The  lines  extended  nearly  forty  miles  in  length, 
from  the  left  bank  of  the  Appomattox,  around  to  the 
western  side  of  Petersburg,  also  to  and  across  the  James  to 
the  eastern  side  of  Richmond.  To  menace  that  extended 
line  required  equally  long  and  strong  intrenchments,  and 
these  were  immediately  constructed. 

There  was  now  a  comparative  lull  in  the  sanguinary 
struggle  which  had  signalized  the  preceding  months.  Was 
,it  not  true  that  the  temper  of  the  Union  armies  had  become 
inferior  to  what  it  formerly  had  been  ?  It  is  true  that  many 
veterans  remained  ;  and  yet  the  majority  of  our  forces  now 
consisted  of  raw  troops,  of  inferior  discipline  and  of  a  less 
exalted  spirit  than  those  who  at  the  first  outbreak  of  the 
war  had  volunteered  for  the  defence  of  the  Republic.  Con 
scription  and  vast  bounties  had  been  resorted  to  to  replen 
ish  the  thinned  ranks  of  the  loyal  armies.  The  temper  of 
the  men,  therefore,  whom  Grant  commanded  during  the  last 
year  of  the  war,  in  the  east,  was  not  to  be  compared  with 
-that  of  those  who  had  marched  under  McClellan  two  years 
before.  Gillmore  had  been  succeeded  in  the  command  of 


DEFENCES  OF  RICHMOND  AND  PETERSBURG. 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

the  Tenth  Corps  by  Brigadier-General  W.  H.  T.  Brooks ; 
he  also  retired  from  its  command  on  July  I5th,  and  on 
July  22d  Major-General  David  B.  Birney  became  our  corps 
-commander. 

General  Turner  still  commanded  the  Second  Division, 
which  came  to  be  known  as  the  "  Flying  Division,"  because 
it  was  continually  detached  from  its  corps  and  sent  here 
and  there  as  the  exigencies  of  the  service  required.  Colo 
nel  Barton  continued  to  command  the  Second  Brigade,  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Coan  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment.  Lieu- 


FORT  STEADMAN. 

tenant-Colonel  Dudley  W.  Strickland  had  resigned  ;  Captain 
Lockwood  also  had  returned  to  civil  life.  As  finally  ad 
justed,  Barton's  brigade  consisted  of  the  Forty-seventh  and 
Forty-eighth  New  York,  Seventy-sixth  and  Ninety-seventh 
Pennsylvania,  and  later  the  Two  Hundred  and  Third  Penn 
sylvania  was  added  to  it.  Thus  brigaded  for  ensuing 
months,  the  regiment  was  destined  still  to  do  noble  service 
for  the  country. 

The  fortifications  in  our  immediate  front  at  Petersburg 
were  of  the  most  formidable  character,  Forts  Steadman  and 
Sedgwick  being  particularly  hot  places:  to  the  latter  our 
men  gave  the  name  of  "  Fort  Hell,"  when,  not  to  be  outdone, 


ARMY  OF    THE  JAMES.  159 

the  rebels  called  the  former  "  Fort  Damnation."  Perhaps 
they  were  not  over-elegant  names ;  neither  were  they  mild 
and  quiet  places. 

On  June  3<Dth  an  advance  was  ordered  upon  the  Confed 
erate  works  on  Cemetery  Hill  in  our  front.  Barton's 
brigade  was  directed  to  assault  the  hill  upon  the  right.  So 
formidable  were  the  rebel  works,  that  it  seemed  like  court 
ing  certain  death  to  attempt  to  carry  them  by  assault ; 
nevertheless  we  were  ordered  out,  and  formed  our  lines  in 
the  woods  in  front  of  our  fortifications.  Delays,  however, 
occurred,  and  finally,  greatly  to  our  relief,  the  order  was  re 
called.  Colonel  Barton  was  subjected  to  some  blame  for  the 
failure  of  the  assault.  His  action  was  subjected  to  a  criti 
cal  examination,  but  upon  his  stating  his  reasons  he  was 
thoroughly  exonerated  from  all  blame,  and  his  course  in 
the  matter  approved.  Beyond  a  doubt  his  regard  for  the 
lives  of  his  soldiers  that  day  saved  many  of  us  from  death. 
The  fortifications  which  it  was  intended  we  should  assault 
were  subsequently  proven  to  have  been  so  powerful,  that  if 
we  had  ventured  to  advance  against  them  we  would  un 
doubtedly  have  been  destroyed. 

At  that  time  our  pickets  were  posted  in  lines  of  little 
rifle-pits,  hastily  dug  among  the  trees  in  the  woods  in  front 
of  our  works.  But  two  men  at  a  time  were  placed  in  these 
little  holes,  and  so  hot  was  the  fire,  that  the  reliefs  were  only 
made  at  night.  Whoever  ventured  to  stand  up  a  moment 
in  the  sight  of  the  enemy,  either  in  the  rifle-pits  or  upon  the 
fortifications,  was  sure  to  be  picked  off  by  sharp-shooters. 
Sometimes  the  boys  would  rig  up  a  dummy  upon  a  pole  and 
lift  it  to  the  top  of  the  parapet :  it  was  sure  to  be  riddled  with 
bullets  in  a  moment.  The'two  personal  friends  with  whom 
the  writer  shared  a  shelter  tent  in  those  days  (Graham  and 
Richman)  were  thus  killed  by  sharp-shooters :  Graham  on 
June  the  29th,  while  trying  to  run  to  the  rifle-pits  with  some 
coffee  for  the  men  ;  George  W.  Richman,  the  very  next 
morning,  while  we  were  together  and  alone  in  a  rifle-pit  on 
picket.  That  terrible  day,  from  the  early  morning  till  it  grew 


160  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

dark  at  night,  which  the  writer  spent  by  the  side  of  his 
dead  friend  in  that  rifle-pit,  is  still  unforgotten. 

Throughout  the  hot  month  of  July  we  continued  to  oc 
cupy  our  line  of  fortifications  before  Petersburg,  alternat 
ing  forty-eight  hours  of  duty  at  the  front  and  forty-eight 
hours  at  the  rear.  But  the  rest  in  the  rear  was  hardly  less, 
perilous  than  duty  at  the  front.  Our  casualties  in  the  Peters 
burg  trenches  were  one  officer  and  twenty  men  killed  and 
wounded. 

About  eight  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  July  2Qth  the 
Second  Division  of  the  Tenth  Corps  was  relieved  from  duty 
in  its  intrenchments  by  a  part  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  and 
ordered  to  join  the  forces  of  General  Burnside  in  front  of 
the  position  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  for  the  purpose  of  mak 
ing  the  anticipated  assault  upon  the  enemy's  works,  upon 
the  explosion  of  the  famous  Petersburg  mine.  At  a 
point  immediately  in  Burnside's  front,  within  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  of  his  line,  a  Confederate  fort,  mounting  six 
guns,  projected  beyond  their  average  line;  four  hundred 
yards  in  its  rear  was  Cemetery  Hill,  crowned  by  a  battery 
which  commanded  the  city  of  Petersburg  and  indeed  the 
most  important  of  the  Confederate  works.  In  order  to  seize 
that  crest,  and  thus  at  one  blow  capture  Petersburg  and 
command  the  rebel  position,  a  most  ingenious  device  had 
been  resorted  to. 

The  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  of  Burnside's  corps  was  a 
regiment  which  had  been  enlisted  from  the  mining  regions 
of  that  State,  and  almost  to  a  man  they  were  practical  miners. 
They  undertook  and  successfully  accomplished  the  mining 
of  that  rebel  fort.  At  noon  on  June  25th,  without  proper 
tools  and  with  but  few  of  the  materials  deemed  requisite 
for  such  work,  they  commenced  their  gallery.  They  ob 
tained  planks  by  tearing  down  a  rebel  bridge;  the  dirt  was 
carried  away  upon  hand  barrels  constructed  out  of  cracker- 
boxes ;  many  difficulties  were  overcome  ;  and  on  July  i/th 
the  main  gallery  5OiT8y  feet  in  length,  was  completed.  The 
enemy  had  been  warned  that  their  works  were  being  mined,.. 


ARMY  OF   THE  JAMES.  l6l 

and  they  began  countermining.  However,  the  work  went 
on.  The  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  had  sunk  their  galleries 
so  deep  that  they  were  not  discovered.  Yet  the  men  at 
work  far  underground  plainly  heard  the  enemy  over  their 
heads  in  the  fort. 

They  excavated  two  lateral  galleries,  one  to  the  right,  the 
other  to  the  left,  a  little  beyond  and  in  rear  of  the  rebel  fort. 
The  right  lateral  gallery  was  thirty-eight  feet  long,  the  left 
nearly  as  long.  They  were  drained  and  timbered,  and  eight 
magazines  were  placed  in  position  within  them.  The 
mine  was  charged  on  July  27th.  The  charge  consisted  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  kegs  of  powder,  each  containing 
twenty-five  pounds — eight  thousand  pounds  in  all.  That 
delicate  work  was  accomplished  between  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  and  ten  at  night ;  the  tamping  was  finished  by  six 
o'clock  the  next  day.  Great  hopes  were  entertained  of  this 
remarkable  device.  It  was  believed  that  if  that  mine  could 
be  successfully  exploded,  and  our  forces  could  rush  at  once 
through  the  crater,  they  would  find  the  enemy  so  demoralized 
that  they  could  successfully  capture  Cemetery  Hill,  and  that 
Lee's  army  would  be  at  their  mercy. 

On  the  night  of  the  2Qth  a  vast  array  of  troops  was  assem 
bled  in  Burnside's  front  as  noiselessly  as  possible,  ready  for 
the  assault  in  the  early  morning.  Ledlie's  division  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  unfortunately  chosen  by  lot  for  the  perilous 
duty  of  leading  the  assault ;  other  divisions  formed  in  its 
rear.  Our  division  moved  to  the  position  assigned  to  it 
during  the  night.  It  was  in  its  place  at  3.30  A.M.,  at  which 
time  it  was  expected  that  the  explosion  would  occur,  but 
the  fuse  failed.  Lieutenant  Jacob  Douty  of  Company  K, 
Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania,  and  Sergeant  Henry  Reese  of 
the  same  regiment,  ventured  into  the  gallery,  detecting  and 
removing  the  cause  of  its  failure.  At  4.45  A.M.  they  reapplied 
the  match,  and  slowly  but  surely  the  fuse  burned  its  way 
to  the  mine.  The  whole  army  massed  there  together, 
momentarily  expecting  the  explosion  in  their  front,  waited. 
They  were  moments  of  intense  anxiety.  The  rebellion  might 


l62  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

be  ended  with  this  day  if  this  explosion  and  assault  were 
but  successful. 

Suddenly  the  very  earth  on  which  we  stood  seemed  to 
tremble ;  the  fire  had  reached  the  magazines,  and,  with  a 
mighty  shock,  followed  by  a  rumbling  like  that  of  thunder,  the 
whole  Confederate  fort  in  our  front  was  lifted  into  the  air.  A 
dense  mass  of  smoke  covered  it,  and  flying  fragments  flew 
everywhere.  The  entire  work  was  demolished,  and  its  garri 
son  of  three  hundred  men  buried  in  its  ruins.  In  a  moment, 
as  the  smoke  cleared  away,  we  saw  a  vast  crater  where  the  for 
tification  had  been,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  in  length, 
and  some  ninety-seven  feet  in  width  and  thirty  feet  in  depth. 
Instantly  the  Federal  guns  opened  a  heavy  cannonade  and 
bombardment  for  miles  all  along  our  lines.  The  dismayed 
Confederates  only  made  a  feeble  response.  The  way  was 
open  to  us — the  enemy  was  at  our  mercy. 

And  now  occurred  the  most  lamentable  failure  and  the 
most  inexcusable  of  the  whole  war.  Ledlie's  division,  which 
its  commander  should  have  led  in  person  straight  through 
the  crater  and  on  to  the  crest,  went  no  further  than  the  site 
of  the  ruined  fort.  Ledlie  himself  is  said  to  have  taken 
refuge  in  a  bomb-proof.  He  was  disgraced,  and  retired  from 
the  army  from  that  day.  The  divisions  of  Potter  and  Wilcox 
followed  him,  but  their  way  was  blocked  by  Ledlie's  halted 
columns.  So  great  was  the  confusion  of  the  enemy  that 
even  this  was  not  yet  fatal.  The  day  could  still  have  been 
redeemed  by  an  immediate  and  general  advance,  but  every 
moment  was  priceless.  It  was  now  determined  to  bring  for 
ward  from  the  rear  Ferrero's  division  of  colored  soldiers,  and 
send  them  forward  to  storm  the  hill.  The  delay  that  oc 
curred  before  they  could  be  brought  to  the  front  was  fatal. 

It  was  the  old  blunder  of  Fort  Wagner  repeated  at 
Petersburg:  not  that  the  colored  soldiers  did  not  come  for 
ward  bravely  enough  ;  but  they  were  not  in  position  at  the 
proper  moment,  and  the  delay  was  fatal.  The  enemy  were  in 
a  state  of  panic  ;  aroused  from  their  sleep  in  the  trenches  by 
the  terrible  explosion,  it  was  a  long  time  before  their  officers 


ARMY  OF   THE  JAMES.  163 

succeeded  in  rallying  them.  Beauregard  claims  ridiculously 
that  it  was  done  in  less  than  five  minutes,  but  even  that  should 
have  been  five  minutes  too  late.  The  mine  had  exploded  at 
fifteen  minutes  before  five  ;  it  was  half-past  seven  when  Fer- 
rero's  colored  division  advanced  to  the  breach.  They  were 
met  by  a  deadly  fire  from  the  Confederates,  who  had  now 
rallied  and  were  back  in  their  places  behind  their  para 
pets,  and  they  quickly  broke  and  fled  to  the  rear  in  confu 
sion.  A  terrible  fight  now  ensued  among  the  struggling  and 
disorganized  masses  of  men  in  and  about  the  crater:  some 
of  them  forced  their  way  into  the  ditch  of  the  gorge-line, 
where  they  fought  with  the  enemy  hand  to  hand  ;  others 
crept  along  the  glacis  of  the  exterior  line  and  climbed  over 
the  parapet  into  the  main  trench.  The  rebels  fought  be 
hind  their  traverses.  But  it  was  useless  :  the  priceless  mo 
ments  had  been  wasted  ;  the  only  hope  of  that  day  was  a 
sudden,  simultaneous,  and  overwhelming  advance  upon  the 
demoralized  enemy  instantly  after  the  explosion. 

The  opportunity  had  now  passed.  At  half-past  nine 
General  Grant  in  person  rode  up  to  the  line,  dismounted, 
"  walked  Across  the  front,  under  a  heavy  fire,  to  a  point 
where  Burnside  was  watching  the  battle.  He  took  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance,  and  perceiving  that  every  chance  of  suc 
cess  was  lost,  at  once  exclaimed,  *  These  troops  must  be  imme 
diately  withdrawn  ;  it  is  slaughter  to  leave  them  there.'  "  * 
They  were  withdrawn  with  great  difficulty,  and  under  a  most 
terrific  fire,  during  the  next  few  hours.  The  whole  affair 
was  most  wretchedly  managed  throughout  ;  only  the  explo 
sion  itself  was  a  success.  Our  losses  were  estimated  at 
4400;  the  Confederate  loss  at  not  more  than  a  thousand, 
including  those  who  had  been  blown  up  with  the  fort. 

It  was  a  most  disastrous  failure,  for  which  somebody  was 
responsible.  Though  Turner's  division  did  not  move, 
strictly  speaking,  into  the  crater  itself,  it  was  so  placed  that 
it  suffered  from  a  most  terrible  fire  through  those  hours. 

*  Badeau's  Military  History  of  U.  S.  Grant,  vol.  ii.  p.  482. 


164 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.  VOLS. 


The  loss  of  the  Forty-eighth  was  two  officers  and  twenty- 
seven  men.  Major  Swartwout  was  killed  ;  so  were  Lieuten 
ant  O'Brien  and  Orderly  Sergeant  MacDougall.  Turner's 
division  sustained  a  loss  of  over  four  hundred  ;  for  more  than 
three  hours  they  had  stood  firmly  under  a  severe  fire  of 
musketry  and  artillery,  in  an  isolated  and  perilous  position. 

On  July  3 ist  Turner's  "Flying  Division"  was  relieved 
from  duty  with  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  and  ordered  to  rejoin 
the  Tenth  Corps  again  at  Bermuda  Hundred.  For  thirty- 
eight  days  the  regiment  had  been  continuously  under  fire  be 
fore  Petersburg,  and  a  return  to  its  old  quarters  north  of  the 


GRANT'S  HEADQUARTERS  AT  CITY  POINT.      \   .' 

Appomattox  was  greatly  welcomed.  Here  the  details  of 
men  for  duty  in  the  trenches  and  on  picket  were  much  re 
duced,  and,  in  a  manner,  the  regiment  rested  at  Bermuda 
Hundred  from  July  3ist  to  August  I3th.  By  mutual  con 
sent  the  pickets  in  front  of  the  opposing  lines  had  ceased 
the  murderous  practice  of  desultory  firing  upon  one  another, 
and  -comparative  quiet  ensued.  Indeed,  frequently  the 
pickets  could  be  seen  reclining  upon  their  respective  em 
bankments  in  plain  view  of  one  another,  and  often  inter 
changed  papers,  tobacco,  coffee,  and  the  like.  Frequently 
interesting  conversations  occurred  between  them  ;  it  was  a 
tacit  truce  which  they  maintained,  but  both  sides  respected 
it. 

Early  in  August  General  Butler  conceived  the  design  of 
constructing  his  famous  Dutch  Gap  Canal,  and  volunteers 


AKMY   OF    THE  JAMES. 


165 


were  called  for  from  the  various  regiments  to  do  the  work. 
The  writer's  impression  was  that  not  many  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  responded:  volunteering  to  dig  ditches  under  the 
blazing  August  sun  was  not  a  particularly  coveted  occupa 
tion. 

But  we  were  not  destined  to  rest  long  at  Bermuda 
Hundred.  It  had  been  determined  to  attempt  a  movement 
against  Richmond  on  the  north  side  of  the  James  River, 


PONTOON  BRIDGE  AT  JONES'  LANDING  ON  JAMES  RIVER. 

arid  the  Second  and  Tenth  Corps  were  assigned  to  the  task. 
General  Turner,  with  the  first  brigade  of  his  division,  was 
left  at  Bermuda  Hundred;  the  Third  and  Second  brigades 
of  Turner's  division  were  now  temporarily  attached  to  what 
was  known  as  "  Birney's  provisional  division."  The  march 
from  Bermuda  Hundred  to  and  across  the  James  River  at 
Jones'  Landing,  on  a  pontoon  bridge,  and  on  to  Deep 
Bottom,  was  a  trying  one  ;  many  fell  from  the  ranks,  over 
come  .by  the  excessive  heat.  On  the  morning  of  August 


1 66  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

i6th  we  were  at  Strawberry  Plains.  To  the  writer  this  was 
a  memorable  day:  three  years  before,  on  August  i6th,  he 
had  been  mustered  into  the  service  with  Company  H  ;  his 
term  therefore  expired  with  that  day.  Many  others  of  the 
regiment  had  also  completed  their  term  of  service  and  felt 
that  they  should  now  be  sent  home  ;  yet  they  were  on  the 
threshold  of  another  desperate  battle,  and  though  they 
might  by  right  have  refused  to  participate  in  it,  not  a  single 
man  did  so. 

Fighting  was  constant  all  about  us  throughout  those  days 
of  August ;  Lieutenants  Tantum  and  Sears  were  killed  at 
Strawberry  Plains  on  the  i6th.  Tantum's  term  of  service 
also  expired  on  that  very  day;  it  was  remembered  that  he 
had  said,  "  The  day  my  three  years  expire,  I  shall  resign  my 
commission."  But  when  the  day  really  came,  he  took  his 
place  at  the  head  of  his  company  and  led  them  in  a  fearful 
charge.  As  they  rushed  forward  he  leaped  upon  a  stump 
and  shouted,  "  Give  them  a  Jersey  tiger,  boys !"  and  turning 
to  the  front  again,  fell  dead  with  a  bullet  in  his  brain.  He 
had  served  his  country  "for  three  years"  and  forever.  Cap 
tain  D'Arcy  was  also4  killed  in  this  series  of  engagements, 
and  Captain  Taylor  and  Lieutenant  Seaward  were  wounded. 
The  charge  at  Strawberry  Plains  was  immediately  success 
ful,  but  the  reinforcement  of  the  enemy  ultimately  com 
pelled  a  retreat,  with  a  severe  loss,  to  our  intrenched  lines. 

The  position  of  the  Forty-eighth  was  one  of  extreme 
peril.  The  first  intimation  that  Birney's  provisional  divi 
sion  received  that  our  forces  were  retiring  was  the  sudden 
appearance  of  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  in  front  of  their 
line  of  works,  extending  far  beyond  our  flanks,  and  advanc 
ing  rapidly  upon  us.  They  met  them  with  a  galling  fire 
until  retreat  or  capture  became  inevitable  ;  then  they  re 
treated,  stubbornly  contesting  every  inch  of  ground,  keeping 
at  bay  their  pursuers,  fighting  from  tree  to  tree,  doing  great 
damage  to  the  enemy,  but  suffering  severe  losses  themselves. 
The  entire  casualties  of  the  Federal  forces  during  this  move-, 
ment  were  about  five  thousand,  of  these  the  Forty-eighth 


ARMY  OF   THE   I  AMES.  1 6? 

lost  on  August  I4th  one  officer  and  three  men  ;  on  August 
1 6th,  four  officers  and  fifty  men.  The  battles  at  Strawberry 
Plains  and  Deep  Bottom  occupy  no  very  conspicuous  place 
in  tlie  history  of  the  war,  since  ultimately  they  accomplished 
no  great  purpose,  but  they  were  on  the  part  of  those  partici 
pating  in  them  a  protracted  series  of  battles,  in  which  they 
suffered  greatly. 

After  the  engagements  at  Deep  Bottom  and  Strawberry 
Plains,  the  brigades  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Tenth' 
Corps  were  found  to  be  sadly  worn  and  shattered,  the  regi- 


BULLET-PROOF  IN  THE  WOODS. 

ments  being  but  the  skeletons  of  their  former  selves;  the 
condition  of  the  men  also  was  one  of  almost  utter  exhaus 
tion.  Days  of  continual  marching  and  fighting  in  the  intense 
heat  had  taxed  their  powers  of  endurance  to  the  utmost  ten 
sion.  There  was  desultory  firing  on  our  front  August  1 7th 
and  1 8th,  by  which  we  did  not  particularly  suffer,  and  we 
returned  to  the  intrenchments  at  Deep  Bottom  for  a  respite 
of  rest.  Captain  Nichols  had  commanded  the  regiment  in 
this  engagement,  as  at  Cold  Harbor.  On  August  2Oth  we 
again  left  Deep  Bottom  to  do  picket-duty  at  Strawberry 
Plains,  and  on  the  2ist  returned  to  our  old  intrenchments  at 
Bermuda  Hundred. 


1 68  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

At  this  time  the  following  general  order  was  issued  by 
General  Birney : 

HEADQUARTERS  TENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

FUSSEL'S  MILLS,  VA.,  August  19,  1864. 
GENERAL  ORDERS: 

The  Major-General  commanding  congratulates  the  Tenth  Corps 
upon  its  success.  It  has  on  each  occasion,  when  ordered,  broken  the 
enemy's  strong  lines.  It  has  captured,  during  this  short  campaign, 
four  siege  guns,  protected  by  the  most  formidable  works,  six  colors, 
and  many  prisoners.  It  has  proved  itself  worthy  of  its  old  Wagner 
and  Sumter  renown.  Much  fatigue,  patience,  and  heroism  may  yet 
be  demanded  of  it;  but  the  Major-General  commanding  is  confident 
of  the  response. 

(Signed)  MAJOR-GENERAL  D.  B.  BIRNEY. 

EDWARD  W.  SMITH, 

Lt.-Col.  and  A.  A.  G. 

So  reduced  in  numbers  had  the  regiment  now  become  that 
there  were  but  three  commissioned  officers  for  duty  and  but 
a  few  men.  Skirmishes  were  frequent  in  our  front,  and  in 
one  of  them  on  the  morning  of  August  25th  we  lost  one 
killed  and  nine  wounded  and  missing.  On  August  28th  the 
regiment  returned  to  its  old  intrenchments  in  front  of  Peters 
burg,  alternating  with  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  at 
duty  in  the  trenches  and  resting  in  the  rear.  It  remained 
there  for  a  month. 

On  September  i^th  the  members  of  the  regiment  whose 
term  of  service  had  expired,  and  who  had  not  re-enlisted, 
were  finally  sent  home.  Some  of  them  had  been  retained 
for  a  month  after  the  expiration  of  their  term.  Many  com 
plaints  were  made  at  this  injustice,  but  it  was  explained  that 
none  would  be  discharged  until  the  date  of  the  muster-in  of 
the  final  company  (September  loth).  They  were  retained 
at  the  front,  however,  for  seven  days  after  that  date ;  and  as 
they  were  days  of  peril,  the  procedure  was  unjust :  to  one  at 
least  it  proved  fatal.  The  writer  had  not  re-enlisted,  having 
been  in  prison  at  the  time  when  'the  question  was  mooted. 
He  suspects  had  he  been  present  with  the  regiment  he  would 


ARMY   OF    THE  JAMES.  169. 

have  done  as  a  majority  of  the  regiment  did.  His  service,, 
therefore,  closed  in  front  of  Petersburg  on  the  i/th  of  Sep 
tember.  We  were  finally  mustered  out,  "  honorably  dis 
charged,  at  the  expiration  of  our  term  of  service,"  in  New 
York  City,  September  20,  1864. 

Hitherto,  in  writing  the  most  of  this  history,  the  writer- 
has  been  aided  by  his  own  memories;  henceforth  he  will  be 
at  the  disadvantage  of  being  entirely  dependent  upon  the 
meagre  data  which  he  has  been  able  to  obtain. 

On  the  evening  of  September  iSth,  the  Tenth  and  Eigh 
teenth  Corps  once  more  left  the  front  of  Petersburg  and 
crossed  the  Appomattox,  passed  through  Bermuda  Hundred,, 
and  crossed  the  James  River  by  a  pontoon  bridge  at  Deep 
Bottom.  They  moved  with  such  secrecy  and  rapidity  that 
they  were  in  front  of  the  Confederates'  intrenchments,  below 
Chapin's  Bluff,  at  daylight  on  the  2Qth.  General  Ord  com 
manded  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  and  was  directed  by  General 
Butler  to  assault  the  enemy's  outpost  below  the  Bluff,  known* 
as  Fort  Harrison.  The  Eighteenth  Corps  went  forward  to 
the  charge  with  a  fine  gallantry,  taking  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  and  captured  fifteen  guns  and 
150  prisoners.  General  Ord  was  wounded,  and  General  Weit- 
zel  succeeded  to  the  command.  Simultaneously,  General 
Birney  with  the  Tenth  Corps  advanced  toward  Spring  Hill, 
and  carried  a  strong  line  of  rebel  earthworks,  with  double 
line  of  abatis,  at  New  Market  Heights,  inflicting  a  loss  of 
500  on  the  lenemy.  He  then  advanced  upon  still  more  forti 
fied  lines  at  Laurel  Hill,  known  as  Fort  Gilmer,  within  six 
miles  of  the  city  of  Richmond.  His  force  was  inadequate  for 
the  task  of  carrying  Fort  Gilmer  by  assault,  though  it  was 
attempted,  and  some  of  the  troops  reached  the  ditch.  Birney 
withdrew,  however,  at  nightfall,  having  suffered  a  loss  of  350 
men.  The  Eighteenth  Corps  also  was  successful  in  a  further 
assault.  During  this  engagement  the  Second  Division  of 
the  Tenth  Corps  made  a  terrific  charge  on  one  of  the  main 
lines  of  the  enemy,  but  did  not  succeed  in  forcing  an  entrance 
into  the  work,  although  it  suffered  a  heavy  loss.  So  great 


I7O  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

was  the  number  of  obstructions  that  the  men  were  unable 
to  move  upon  the  double-quick;  the  enemy  also,  were  in 
superior  force. 

The  next  day,  September  3Oth,  the  Confederates  at 
tempted  to  retake  their  works,  but  were  gallantly  repulsed, 
with  severe  loss.  The  casualties  of  the  Forty-eighth  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  missing  were  considerable.  Finding 
the  city  of  Richmond  thus  menaced  from  the  north  of  the 
James,  the  enemy  determined  upon  a  vigorous  effort  to 
drive  our  forces  from  their  position.  On  the  evening  of 
October  6th  they  advanced  at  dusk  in  two  columns.  A 
terrible  fight  ensued,  in  which  the  enemy  were  finally  beaten 
back  with  a  loss  of  over  a  thousand  in  killed  and  wounded, 
and  retreated  in  great  confusion.  The  men  of  the  Tenth 
Corps  acted  with  conspicuous  valor. 

This  was  the  very  last  engagement  of  any  importance  in 
which  the  regiment  participated  until  the  close  of  the  year. 
On  October  iSth  our  brave  corps  commander,  Major-Gen 
eral  David  B.  Birney,  died.  His  loss  was  a  serious  one  to 
the  Union  armies,  and  to  the  Tenth  Corps  it  was  irrepara 
ble.  Brigadier-General  A.  H.  Terry  succeeded  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  corps,  which  continued  to  hold  its  position 
north  of  the  James.  In  a  congratulatory  address  General 
B.  F.  Butler  referred  to  our  part  in  the  recent  engagements 
in  the  following  terms : 

"  After  crossing  the  James  with  celerity,  precision,  secrecy,  and 
promptness  of  movement  seldom  equalled,  you  assailed  and  carried 
the  enemy's  strong  works,  with  double  line  of  abatis,  at  Spring  Hill 
and  New  Market,  thus  taking  possession  of  the  outer  line  of  the 
enemy's  wTorks,  and  advancing  to  the  very  gates  of  Richmond.  So 
vital  was  your  success,  that  on  October  ist,  under  the  eye  of  Lee  him 
self, — massing  his  best  troops, — the  enemy  made  most  determined 
assaults  upon  your  lines  to  retake  it, .and  were  driven  back  with  loss 
of  seven  battle-flags  and  almost  the  annihilation  of  Clingman's  brigade. 
After  weeks  of  preparation,  massing  all  his  veteran  troops  on  your 
right  flank,  on  the  7th  of  October  the  enemy  drove  in  our  cavalry, 
with  the  loss  of  some  pieces  of  horse  artillery;  but  meeting  the  steady 
troops  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  were  repulsed  with  slaughter,  losing  three 


ARMY   OF    THE  JAMES.  \Jl 

commanders  of  brigade  killed  and  wounded,  and  many  field  and  line 
officers  and  men  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners." 

At  the  end  of  this  campaign  the  regiment  went  into 
winter  quarters  at  Chapin's  Farm.  The  boys  built  log- 
huts,  and  made  themselves  as  comfortable  as  possible  for 
the  winter.  Duty  in  the  intrenchments  and  on  picket 
was  continuous,  but  without  especial  incident.  The  posi 
tion  held  was  a  strong  one.  Changes  in  the  regiment 
itself  occurred  during  the  winter;  some  forty  recruits  were 
received.  The  men  were  drilled  daily  with  as  much  regu- 


ARMY  HUTS  AT  CHAPIN'S  FARM. 

larity  as  possible  ;  but  so  thin  had  the  ranks  become  by 
reason  of  the  casualties  of  the  terrible  campaigns  through 
which  they  had  passed,  that  it  was  customary  in  a  company 
drill  to  unite  five  companies  into  one.  Most  of  the  com 
panies  were  commanded  by  sergeants ;  the  noble  regiment 
had  dwindled  away  to  that.  The  pine  woods  around 
Chapin's  Farm  soon  disappeared  that  winter,  great  ingenuity 
being  exercised  by  the  men  in  the  construction  of  their  winter 
quarters.  Some  of  the  huts  had  brick  fire-places,  the  brick 
being  obtained  from  houses  that  had  suddenly  and  mysteri 
ously  disappeared.  The  camp  of  the  regiment  was  like  a 
little  village,  and  not  very  unlike  in  appearance  to  the  adobe 
houses  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 


1 72  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

On  December  3d,  Colonel  William  B.  Barton  was  mus 
tered  out  upon  his  own  application,  after  three  and  a  half 
years'  service,  and  retired  to  civil  life  with  a  military  record 
of  which  any  soldier  might  be  proud. 

He  had  succeeded  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the  regiment  at  the 
death  of  Colonel  Perry  in  the  summer  of  1862,  but  during 
most  of  the  time  had  been  in  command  of  a  brigade  which 
he  led  on  many  a  fiery  field,  and  had  never  been  known  to 
falter.  No  man  ever  accused  him  of  lack  of  courage  or  mili 
tary  discretion.  He  was  dreadfully  wounded  at  the  assault 
on  Fort  Wagner,  and  seriously  at  Cold  Harbor.  Although  he 
did  not  gain  the  highest  rank,  he  filled  the  important  positions 
to  which  he  was  appointed  with  credit  to  himself  and  honor 
to  his  command,  and  in  recognition  of  his  gallant  and  meri 
torious  services  received  the  brevet  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

Colonel  Barton  commanded  successively  the  district  of 
Fort  Pulaski,  the  district  and  post  of  Hilton  Head  ;  was 
second  in  command  in  the  expedition  to -Florida  in  the 
spring  of  1864;  and  commanded  the  second  brigade,  second 
division  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  continuously  from  its  formation 
until  he  left  the  service,  except  during  the  time  he  was  ab 
sent  on  account  of  wounds. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  a  gra 
duate  of  Princeton  College.  He  had  been  a  militiaman 
before  the  war,  and  was  an  adept  in  the  tactics.  Although 
very  young  when. he  entered  the  service,  he  was  a  man  of 
fine  presence,  of  dignified  bearing,  and  quick  and  active  mind. 
He  was  also  the  "  best  dressed  "  man  in  his  regiment.  Some 
how  he  was  always  able  to  keep  his  clothes  unsoiled  when 
the  rest  of  us  found  ourselves  covered  with  dirt  and  mud. 

I  regret  to  have  been  unable  to  procure  a  more  detailed 
account  of  the  life  and  services  of  General  Barton,  who  is 
now  (1885)  a  resident  of  the  city  of  New  York.  His  long- 
continued  command  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment,  and  his 
eminent  services  with  it,  will  continue  to  make  him,  as  long 
as  its  memory  lasts,  its  historic  commander. 

On  December  2,   1864,  the  Army  of  the  James  was  re- 


WILLIAM  B.  BARTON, 

Brevet  Brig.-Gi'iil.  C.  .9.  /•'<;/?. 
SECOND    COLONKL    48th,    N.  V.    S.   VOLS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Fort  Fisher  to  the  End— Jan.  I  to  Sept.  12,  1865. 

First  Expedition  against  Fort  Fisher — Failure — Back  to  Chapin's  Farm- 
General  Butler  Removed  from  his  Command — General  Ord  Succeeds 
him^The  Second  Expedition — Jan.  I3th,  on  Land — Jan.  I5th,  the  Assault 
— Pennypacker's  Brigade — Colonel  Coan  Wounded — The  Victory — The 
Race  with  the  Colors — The  Roll-call  in  Fort  Fisher — Death  of  Captain 
Dunn — Tribute  of  Admiral  Porter — Letter  of  Secretary  Stanton — The 
Advance  Towards  Wilmington — Capture  of  Fort  Anderson — The  End  Ap 
proaching — General  Schofield — The  Twenty-third  Army  Corps — Feb.  2ist, 
Battle  of  Wilmington — Major  Elfwing  Wounded — Rescue  of  Union  Pris 
oners — Their  Sufferings — March  15th,  leave  Wilmington  for  Goldsboro' — 
Sherman's  Army — Richmond  Taken — Appomattox — April  loth,  Raleigh 
— Death  of  President  Lincoln — Surrender  of  Johnston — The  End — Sept. 
3d,  Home — Sept.  i2th,  Mustered  Out — The  Career  of  the  Regiment — 
Chaplain  Taylor — Chaplain  Strickland — Surgeon  Mulford — Colonel  Wm. 
B.  Coan. 

'"PHE  year  1865  opened  gloomily  for  the  cause  of  the 
Confederacy  and  hopefully  for  that  of  the  Union.  It 
was  evident  that  the  South  was  well-nigh  exhausted,  and 
that  the  war  was  drawing  to  its  close.  The  first  month  of  the 
year  was  signalized  by  the  assault  and  capture  of  Fort  Fisher, 
a  strong  fortification  which  defended  the  entrance,  by  the 
Cape  Fear  River,  to  the  port  of  Wilmington,  N.  C.  Its 
fall  was  an  event  of  the  greatest  importance,  because  there 
had  been  much  difficulty  in  stopping  the  blockade-running 
into  that  port,  and  when  Fort  Fisher  fell,  the  Confederacy 
was  finally  shut  up  within  itself,  and  the  last  doorway 
through  which  it  had  held  communication  with  the  world 
was  closed.  The  blockade-trade  of  Wilmington  was  much 
greater  than  was  supposed,  and  it  appears  to  have  con 
tinued  with  but  little  interruption  until  the  capture  of 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   END. 

Fort  Fisher  and  within  three  months  of  the  end  of  the  re 
bellion. 

The  Forty-eighth  Regiment  was  destined  to  play  a  con 
spicuous  part  in  this  final  campaign  of  the  war.  They  left 
their  camp  at  Chapin's  Farm,  on  the  evening  of  December 
7,  1864;  marched  to  Jones'  Landing,  near  City  Point;  spent 
a  night  in  a  snow-storm,  camping  in  the  woods;  and  next 
morning,  8th  inst.,  embarked  on  the  steamer  Per  it  to  partici 
pate  in  General  Butler's  expedition  against  Fort  Fisher.  Off 
Fortress  Monroe  they  found  a  fleet  of  transports  loaded 
with  troops  at  anchor,  and  the  scene  recalled  that  other 
fleet  that  had  sailed  from  that  same  harbor,  under  Dupont, 
more  than  three  years  before.  Admiral  Porter  commanded 
the  naval  forces  of  the  expedition,  and  on  December  1 3th 
they  sailed  out  to  sea.  They  went  into  Beaufort,  N.  C., 


LAND  AND  SEA  FRONT  OF  FORT  FISHER. 

for  supplies  of  water  and  coal,  sailing  thence  up  the  Cape 
Fear  River,  and  on  Christmas  Day  they  landed  in  front  of 
Fort  Fisher. 

Fort  Fisher  is  described  as  an  earthwork  of  an  irregular 
quadrilateral  trace ;  the  exterior  sides  averaged  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  yards.;  its  northeastern  salient,  which  was 
nearest  the  sea,  approached  high-water  mark  to  within  about 
one  hundred  yards  ;  across  the  beach  to  the  water  was  a 
strong  stockade  or  wooden  palisade.  The  land  face  of  the 
fort  occupied  the  whole  width  of  the  cape,  known  as  Federal 
Point;  and  as  it  was  exposed  to  enfilading  fire  from  the 
ocean,  it  was  heavily  traversed,  and  the  twenty  guns  that 
commanded  that  strip  of  land  were  well  guarded.  The  tops 
of  the  traverses  were  fully  six  feet  above  the  general  line  of 
the  interior  crests,  and  afforded  bomb-proof  shelters  for  the 
garrison.  Looking  at  them  from  a  distance,  they  appeared 


i;6  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

like  a  series  of  mounds.  The  slopes  of  the  parapet  were 
well  secured  by  marsh  sods.  All  along  the  line  front  of  the 
fort,  across  to  the  Cape  Fear  River,  was  a  stockade.  Num 
bers  of  torpedoes  had  been  planted  in  the  sand  in  front  of 
the  fort,  and  the  wrecks  of  unfortunate  blockade-runners  were 
scattered  along  the  beach. 

It  was  to  take  this  formidable  fortification  by  assault  that 
General  Butler  had  come  with  6500  troops,  consisting  of 
Ames'  division  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps  and  Paine's  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  Negro  Corps,  in  co  operation  with  the  fleet 
under  Admiral  Porter.  General  Weitzel  had  immediate 
command  of  the  troops.  The  bombardment  by  the  naval 
forces  followed.  Weitzel  pushed  forward  his  skirmishers  to 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  fort,  where  some  of  them  were 
wounded  by  shells  from  the  fleet.  One  man  reached  the 
ditch  and  captured  a  rebel  flag  which  had  been  shot  down 
from  their  parapets.  Ames'  troops  also  captured  about  two 
hundred  rebels,  with  ten  commissioned  officers.  After  in 
terviewing  them,  finding  that  heavy  reinforcements  had  been 
thrown  into  Fort  Fisher,  and  that  there  were  probably  more 
men  within  its  garrison  than  he  could  bring  against  it,  But 
ler  concurred  in  the  opinion  of  Weitzel,  that  a  successful 
assault  could  not  at  that  time  be  made.  The  forces  were 
ordered  to  withdraw  and  re-embark.  When  the  guns  of  the 
navy  ceased  firing  those  of  Fort  Fisher  opened  upon  the  re 
tiring  troops.  The  position  of  our  men  was  perilous.  It 
was  thirty  hours  before  they  finally  reached  their  ships  again. 
The  expedition  was  a  failure. 

Great  blame,  and  indeed  much  ridicule,  has  been  heaped 
upon  General  Butler  for  not  assaulting  Fort  Fisher  that  day. 
The  subsequently  successful  assault  under  General  Terry 
has  emphasized  the  apparently  bad  generalship  of  Butler; 
but  time  rights  many  wrongs  :  it  is  now  generally  conceded 
by  military  writers  that  Fort  Fisher  was  so  heavily  garri 
soned  that  it  could  not  have  been  assaulted  with  any  chance 
of  success  at  that  time.  From  the  statement  of  the  rebel 
General  Whiting  on  his  death-bed,  it  is  now  believed  that 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE  END.  1/7 

there  were  on  that  day  900  effective  men  behind  those 
sand  walls,  and  7000  within  forty-eight  hours'  march.  There 
was  also  some  lack  of  co-operation  between  the  naval  and 
the  land  forces,  and  mutual  misunderstandings  made  mat 
ters  worse.  However,  the  expedition  failed,  and  the  troops 
returned  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  the  Forty-eighth  reaching 
its  old  camp  at  Chapin's  Farm  on  the  night  of  the  last 
day  of  the  year  (1864),  and  stretching  their  shelter-tents 
over  the  old  frameworks  of  their  little  huts,  spent  the  night 
within  them  in  comfort,  though  the  snow  was  falling  with 
out. 

The  failure  of  that  expedition  against  Fort  Fisher  cost 
our  army  commander,  General  Butler,  his  position  ;  he  was 
relieved  from  his  command  on  January  7,  1865.  General 
Ord  succeeded  him  in  commanding  the  Department,  and 
General  Gibbon  in  command  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps. 
Butler  felt  his  disgrace  keenly,  and  believed  also  that  he  had 
not  deserved  it.  Perhaps  he  was  not  a  great  soldier.  Never 
theless  his  failure  to  assault  Fort  Fisher,  as  subsequent  events 
have  demonstrated,  is  not  now  pronounced  a  mistake.  He 
issued  a  farewell  address  to  the  "  Soldiers  of  the  Army  of 
the  James,"  in  which  he  attributed  his  removal  to  his  care 
for  the  lives  of  his  men,  and  declared  that  "having  wit 
nessed  your  ready  devotion  of  your  blood  to  your  country's 
cause,  I  have  been  chary  of  the  precious  charge  confided  to 
me.  The  wasted  blood  of  my  men  does  not  stain  my  gar 
ments." 

But  General  Grant  was  not  to  be  baffled  by  one  failure  ; 
he  determined  to  try  again.  He  selected  for  the  commander 
Major-General  A.  H.  Terry.  The  same  troops  composed 
the  expedition,  with  the  addition  of  Abbott's  brigade  of  the 
First  Division  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps.  On  January  3, 
1865,  the  Forty-eighth  left  its  quarters  at  Chapin's  Farm 
once  more,  and  embarking  this  time  on  the  steamer  Tona- 
wanda,  in  company  with  the  Forty-seventh  New  York, 
Ninety-seventh  Pennsylvania,  and  four  companies  of  the 
Two  Hundred  and  Third  Pennsylvania,  steamed  again,  and 

12 


178  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.  VOLS. 

for  the  last  time,  down  the  James  River  to  Fortress  Mon 
roe.  On  the  8th  they  reached  Hatteras  Inlet ;  on  the  Qth 
were  with  the  fleet  off  Beaufort,  N.  C. ;  on  the  I2th  in  Cape 
Fear  River  once  more  ;  and  on  the  I3th  effected  a  landing 
in  small  boats,  formed  upon  the  beach,  and  fell  to  work 
throwing  up  intrenchments. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  January  13,  1865, 
nearly  8000  men,  with  suitable  rations,  ammunition,  and  in 
trenching  tools,  had  been  safely  transferred  to  the  shore ; 
pickets  were  at  once  thrown  out,  the  ground  to  the  front  re- 


MOUND  BATTERY  AT  FORT  FISHER.  .    • 

connoitred,  a  line  finally  established  about  two  miles  from 
the  fort,  and  by  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  I4th,  a 
good  breastwork,  reaching  from  the  river  to  the  sea,  and 
partly  covered  by  abatis,  had  been  constructed,  and  the 
army  was  safe  behind  it.  Terry  had  succeeded  in  securing 
his  foothold  upon  the  peninsula.  The  next  day  the  artillery 
was  landed,  and  that  night  the  guns  were  put  into  position, 
the  naval  vessels  keeping  up  a  constant  fire  upon  the  fort. 
The  following  day,  Sunday,  January  I5th,  was  selected  for 
the  grand  assault.  That  day  witnessed  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  spectacles  of  the  war.  That  it  should  have  been 
the  fate  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  New  York  State  Vol 
unteers  to  have  participated  in  the  two  great  assaults  against 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE  END.  179 

the  two  greatest  sand-forts  of  history — Wagner  and  Fisher — 
is  a  noteworthy  coincidence. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  a  cooperative  attack  by  the 
land  and  naval  forces  upon  that  Sabbath-day.  All  the  night 
before  the  monitors  pounded  the  fort,  giving  the  garrison  no 
rest,  and  no  opportunity  to  repair  the  damages  made  by  the 
guns.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  all  the  ships  of  the 
fleet,  excepting  one  division  (which  was  left  to  defend,  if 
necessary,  Terry's  line  across  the  peninsula),  moved  up  to 
the  attack,  and  a  concentrated  fire,  accurate  and  terrible, 
from  the  whole  fleet  was  opened  upon  the  doomed  fort. 
From  the  ships,  also,  1400  marines  and  600  sailors,  armed 
with  carbines,  cutlasses,  and  revolvers,  landed  to  aid  in  the 
work  of  assault.  They  dug  little  trenches  in  the  sand,  under 
cover  of  the  fire  of  their  ships,  and  reached  a  point  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  sea-front  of  the  fort,  where  they 
waited  the  order  for  attack. 

And  now,  to  obtain  a  clear  idea  of  this  magnificent  and 
successful  assault,  the  reader  must  bear  in  mind  the  forma 
tion  of  the  troops.  General  Adelbert  Ames'  division  was 
selected  for  the  work:  it  consisted  of  three  brigades,  com 
manded. respectively  by  Curtis,  Pennypacker,  and  Bell.  The 
Forty-eighth  belonged  to  the  Second  (Pennypacker's)  Bri 
gade.  By  noting  the  part  taken  by  Pennypacker's  brigade 
in  the  following  description,  the  work  of  the  Forty-eighth 
New  York  on  that  day  can  be  determined.  .  The  First  Bri 
gade  (Curtis's)  was  already  in  position  at  the  front,  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  Pennypacker's  brigade 
formed  about  one  hundred  yards  in  their  rear,  Bell's  a  like 
distance  behind  us.  The  formation  was  made  under  some 
fire  from  the  fort,  during  which  Colonel  William  B.  Coan 
was  wounded,  and  the  command  of  the  regiment  devolved 
upon  Major  Elfwing.  At  first,  a  hundred  sharp-shooters 
were  thrown  to  the  front.  They  ran  forward  to  within  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  yards  of  the  work,  dug  themselves 
little  rifle-pits  for  shelter,  and  commenced  firing  at  the  para 
pets.  Instantly  those  parapets  were  alive  with  men,  and  the 


i8o 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


fort  opened  upon  us  a  heavy  fire  of  infantry  and  artillery. 
Then  Curtis's  brigade  was  moved  to  the  front ;  Pennypack- 
er's  took  its  place,  and  Bell's  also  advanced.  Curtis's  brigade 
found  shelter  on  the  reverse  slope  of  a  crest,  about  sixty 
yards  in  rear  of  the  sharp-shooters,  and  again  moved  forward 
to  that  point,  the  regiment  digging  shallow  trenches  to  cover 
themselves  wherever  they  halted.  Pennypacker  followed 
Curtis,  and  Bell  was  brought  up  to  the  outwork.  At  3.25 
P.M.  everything  was  in  readiness  for  the  assault. 

A  concerted  signal  was  made  to  Admiral  Porter  to  change 
the  direction  of  the  fire  of  the  fleet.  Terry  ordered  Ames 
to  move  forward  to  the  attack.  Instantly  Curtis's  brigade 
sprang  from  their  trenches  and  dashed  forward  in  line  ;  its 


INTERIOR  OF  FORT  FISHER. 

left  was  exposed  to  a  heavy  enfilading  fire,  and  it  obliqued 
to  the  right  in  order  to  envelop  the  left  of  the  land-front. 
The  ground  over  which  it  moved  was  difficult  and  marshy, 
but  it  soon  reached  the  palisades,  passed  through  them,  and 
effected  a  lodgment  on  the  parapet.  Then  Pennypacker 
was  ordered  forward  to  their  support.  The  Second  Brigade 
advanced  with  all  the  dash  and  valor  for  which  they  now 
had  become  famous,  but  not  merely  in  support  of  Curtis,  for 
they  overlapped  him  to  the  right,  and  meeting  the  enemy 
at  the  heavy  palisading  which  extended  from  the  west  end 
of  the  land-face  to  the  river,  drove  him  from  it,  capturing 
400  prisoners,  then  pushed  forward  to  the  left,  and  the  two 
brigades  now  equally  advanced  against  the  fort,  rushed  for 
ward  together  with  a  spring  and  a  dash,  and  drove  the  ene- 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE  END.  l8l 

my  from  about  one  quarter  of  the  land-face  of  the  work. 
Then  Ames  brought  up  Bell's  brigade,  moving  it  between 
the  fort  and  the  river. 

And  now  a  terrible  struggle  ensued  ;  hand-to-hand  fight 
ing  of  the  most  desperate  character  between  the  garrison 
of  the  fort  and  the  brigades  of  Curtis  and  Pennypacker  was 
witnessed  that  day  on  the  parapets  of  Fort  Fisher,  while  the 
fleet  kept  up  its  fire  farther  to  the  south,  to  prevent  reinforce 
ments  reaching  the  fort  from  Mound  Battery.  The  rebels 
used  the  traverses  of  the  land-front  for  breastworks,  and 
over  the  tops  of  these  the  contestants  fired  into  each  other's 
faces.  The  struggle  was  desperate,  but  step  by  step  the 
Confederates  were  driven  back  until  by  six  o'clock  tfyey  had 
been  forced  from  nine  of  their  traverses.  By  nine  o'clock 
at  night  two  more  traverses  were  carried,  and  the  combat 
practically  ceased.  After  as  magnificent  a  charge — lasting 
for  hours — as  the  war  witnessed,  Fort  Fisher  had  been  taken 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  The  trophies  of  the  victory 
were  169  pieces  of  artillery,  2000  stand  of  small-arms,  quan 
tities  of  ammunition  and  commissary  stores,  112  commis 
sioned  officers,  and  1971  enlisted  men  as  prisoners. 

The  glory  must  be  shared  equally  by  Curtis'  and  Penny- 
packer's  brigades.  General  Curtis  was  wounded,  rifle  in 
hand,  while  fighting  in  the  front  rank  ;  Colonel  Pennypacker 
also,  while  carrying  the  standard  of  one  of  his  regiments, 
the  first  man  in  a,  charge,  over  one  of  the  traverses.  Colonel 
Bell  was  mortally  wounded  near  the  palisades.  Thus  all  three 
commanders  of  the  brave  brigades  that  did  the  fighting  fell. 
Pennypacker's  brigade  consisted  that  day  of  the  following 
regiments  :  Forty-seventh  and  Forty-eighth  New  York,  and 
the  Seventh-sixth,  Ninety-seventh,  and  Two  Hundred  and 
Third  Pennsylvania.  They  were  the  second  in  the  advance, 
but  followed  rapidly  and  closely  after  the  leading  brigade 
in  every  movement,  and  at  the  moment  of  reaching  the  fort 
their  lines  merged  with  and  extended  beyond  the  flank  of 
the  First  Brigade,  and  entered  the  fort  simultaneously  with 
them. 


1 82  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

There  was  one  incident  of  striking  valor  witnessed  that 
day  on  the  sands  in  front  of  Fort  Fisher  that  should  be 
mentioned.  The  color-sergeant  of  the  Forty-eighth  .was 
Thomas  Van  Tassel.  As  the  brigade  rushed  forward  on  the 
grand  assault  the  color-sergeants  of  the  Forty-eighth  New 
York  and  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  ran  ahead  in  the 
advance.  The  flag  of  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  was  a 
beautiful  new  one,  but  that  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York 
could  hardly  be  called  a  flag ;  there  was  little  left  of  it  but 
the  staff  and  a  few  ribbons,  for  it  had  been  borne  before  on 
many  a  fiery  field.  There  was  a  peculiar  contrast,  there 
fore,  between  the  colors  of  the  two  regiments,  whose  color- 
sergeants  were  running  side  by  side  towards  the  banks  of 
Fort  Fisher,  and  they  planted  their  banners  almost  simul 
taneously  upon  the  captured  parapets.  It  was  a  struggle  as 
to  which  would  get  there  first,  and  it  incited  the  men  to  a 
wild  enthusiasm  to  follow  their  flags  to  victory.  From 
mound,  to  mound  they  fought  through  the  whole  afternoon 
till  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

After  the  capture  of  the  fort  a  fire  was  built  to  aid  the 
sailors  on  the  ships  in  directing  their  fire.  About  ten  o'clock 
orders  were  received  for  a  further  advance.  The  famous 
old  regiment — the  Sixth  Connecticut — which  had  been  with 
us  in  the  hottest  fire  at  Wagner,  but  which  had  not  up  to 
this  point  been  engaged  in  the  fight  at  Fort  Fisher,  was  now 
sent  for  and  put  in  advance.  The  rest  followed  them,  but 
with  much  irregularity,  as  the  fighting  of  the  day  had  some 
what  broken  the  formation  of  the  regiments  ;  every  regi 
ment,  however,  clustered  about  its  own  flag,  and  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night  went  forward.  They  entered  the  fort, 
crossed  it,  but  met  no  opposition.  The  Sixth  Connecticut 
then  made  an  advance  toward  Fort  Buchanan,  and  there 
they  found  the  enemy,  making  prisoners  of  them  all. 

Meanwhile  the  Forty-eighth  had  built  a  fire  and  cooked 
some  coffee  in  a  small  kettle  they  had  found  in  the  fort. 
But  let  no  one  suppose  that  the  regiment  at  this  time  was  a 
long  line  of  one  thousand  men,  as  it  once  had  been.  So 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE  END.  183 

had  its  ranks  been  thinned  by  the  casualties  of  four  years 
of  fighting  and  many  deadly  battles,  that  when  the  roll  was 
called  there  in  the  darkness  within  Fort  Fisher,  only  eight 
officers  and  seventeen  enlisted  men  answered  to  their  names. 
The  noble  regiment  had  melted  away  to  that. 

Later  in  the  night  the  Second  Brigade  was  sent  to  the 
rear  to  guard  the  prisoners  who  had  been  captured  upon 
the  beach.  They  remained  there  till  the  prisoners  were 
transferred  to  the  ships  and  sent  to  the  North.  The  Forty- 
eighth  Regiment  went  into  the  fight  at  Fort  Fisher  few  in 
numbers,  but  they  were  in  the  very  front,  and  in  the  thickest 
of  the  fray  ;  and  there  is  creditable  record  that  a  little  handful 
of  them,  with  a  few  others  of  their  brigade,  were  further  in 
the  advance  than  any  other  of  the  Union  soldiers  on  that 
day.  They  had  a  peculiarly  desperate  fight  about  one  of 
the  sand-mounds,  the  contingencies  of  which  brought  them 
so  far  to  the  front.  They  made  a  gallant  dash  at  one  of  the 
parapets  of  the  fort,  but  were  beaten  back  by  overwhelm 
ing  numbers,  some  going  into  the  fort  and  others  down  the 
land-face  over  into  the  moat.  By  standing  sheltered  in  the 
ditch,  and  keeping  up  a  fire  on  the  parapets  just  above 
them,  they  compelled  the  evacuation  of  two  of  the  mounds, 
protected  the  men  bringing  up  ammunition  from  the  rear, 
and  finally  advancing  on  their  own  account,  took  possession 
of  a  rebel  battery  they  found  unoccupied  on  the  very  top  of 
the  fort. 

Individual  instances  of  valor  on  that  day  were  many,  and 
the  loss  of  the  regiment  at  Fort  Fisher  was  more  than  one 
fourth  of  its  officers  and  more  than  one  third  of  its  enlisted 
men.  Yet  so  few  were  they  in  number  that  the  loss  was 
only  three  officers  and  eleven  enlisted  men.  Captain  James 
H.  Dunn  was  killed.  Some  of  the  Forty-eighth  also  were 
lost  at  the  explosion  of  the  magazine  of  the  fort  the  next 
morning. 

I  cannot  forbear  quoting  the  noble  tribute  to  the  valor  of 
the  troops  by  Admiral  Porter  in  his  report  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy.  He  says  : 


1 84  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

"  It  will  not  be  amiss  for  me  to  remark  here,  that  I  never  saw  any 
thing  like  the  fearless  gallantry  and  endurance  displayed  by  our  troops. 
They  fought  like  lions,  and  knew  no  such  word  as  fail.  They  finally 
fought  and  chased  the  rebels  from  traverse  to  traverse,  until  they 
reached  Battery  Lamb  at  the  mound,  a  face  of  the  work  extending 
about  one  thousand  four  hundred  yards  in  length.  At  this  point  the 
rebels  broke,  and  fled  to  the  end  of  Federal  Point.  Our  troops  fol 
lowed  them  up,  and  they  surrendered  at  discretion.  I  have  visited 
Fort  Fisher  and  its  adjacent  work,  and  found  their  strength  greatly 
beyond  what  I  had  conceived.  An  engineer  might  be  excusable  in 
saying  that  they  could  not  be  captured  except  by  regular  siege.  I 
wonder  even  now  how  it  was  done.  The  works  are  tremendous.  I 
was  in  the  Malakoff  Tower  a  few  days  after  its  surrender  to  the  French 
and  British.  The  combined  armies  of  those  two  nations  were  many 
months  capturing  that  stronghold,  and  it  will  not  compare  either  in 
size  or  strength  to  Fort  Fisher,  and  yet  the  latter  was  captured  by  a 
handful  of  men  under  fire  of  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and  in  seven  hours 
after  the  attack  commenced  in  earnest.  The  world  never  saw  such 
fighting  as  our  soldiers  did." 

That  gallant  tribute  by  a  brave  sailor  to  brave  soldiers 
was  as  handsome  as  it  was  deserved.  » 

The  capture  of  Fort  Fisher  thrilled  the  whole  country  as 
did  the  victories  of  Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg.  It  won  a 
great  fame  for  General  Terry  and  the  troops  that  fought  un 
der  him.  At  last  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  had  partici 
pated  in  a  great  battle  which  was  not  a  reverse  or  a  doubt 
ful  victory,  but  a  decided  and  overwhelming  triumph.  Con 
gratulatory  addresses  came  from  everywhere.  The  Secre 
tary  of  War,  Mr.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  wrote  a  letter  concern 
ing  it  to  President  Lincoln,  highly  complimentary  to  "  the 
column  of  3000  troops  of  the  old  Tenth  Corps."  Beaure- 
gard  a  few  days  before  had  pronounced  the  fortification 
impregnable.  It  was  another  Fort  Wagner,  though  not 
nearly  so  fatal  a  spot  nor  so  desperately  defended. 

Our  old  enemy  at  Olustee,  General  A.  H.  Colquitt,  was 
an  hour  too  late  at  Fort  Fisher  to  meet  us  again,  but  he 
came  very  near  being  captured  by  us  there  that  night.  He 
ventured  to  make  a  little  reconnoissance  in  a  row-boat  to  see 
how  matters  stood  ;  he  escaped  "by  the  skin  of  his  teeth." 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   END.  185 

The  Confederate  General  Whiting,  writing  from  the  hospi 
tal  at  Goat  Island  on  March  2d,  paid  this  tribute  to  the  fire 
of  the  Federal  fleet  : 

"  It  was  beyond  description ;  no  language  can  describe  that  terrific 
bombardment:  143  shots  a  minute  for  twenty-four  hours!  My  tra 
verses  stood  it  nobly,  but  by  the  direct  fire  the  enemy  were  able  to 
bring  upon  the  land-front  they  succeeded  in  knocking  down  my  guns 
there." 

If  Fort  Fisher  had  been  garrisoned  and  defended  as  Bat 
tery  Wagner  was,  the  Union  columns  would  have  rushed 
upon  its  flaming  parapets  in  vain  ;  but  the  long  years  of  the 
war  had  broken  the  spirit  of  the  Confederate  soldiers,  and 
they  were  destined  never  to  display  their  former  valor  again. 
The  National  loss  in  the  attack  was  only  68 1  men,  of  whom 
88  were  killed,  501  wounded,  and  92  missing.  At  the  acci 
dental  explosion  of  the  magazine  within  the  fort  next  morn 
ing  200  were  killed,  and  100  more  wounded.  The  losses 
of  the  fleet  were  about  three  hundred  men  ;  it  had  expended 
50,000  shells  in  the  bombardment.  The  fort  was  so  slightly 
damaged  by  the  pounding  it  had  received,  that  it  could 
easily  have  been  repaired  ;  but  our  forces  had  no  use  for  it. 

The  minor  fortifications  upon  the  Cape  Fear  River  were 
at  once  evacuated  by  the  enemy ;  the  port  of  Wilmington 
was  now  firmly  closed  to  blockade-runners,  and  the  town 
itself  was  soon  destined  to  be  occupied  by  our  troops. 
General  Terry  posted  his  men  behind  an  intrenched  line 
across  the  peninsula,  some  two  or  three  miles  above  Fort 
Fisher,  as  it  was  not  deemed  prudent  for  such  a  small  army 
to  attempt  a  further  advance.  Fort  Anderson  was  still  oc 
cupied  by  the  enemy  at  a  point  on  the  river  about  half-way 
between  Fort  Fisher  and  Wilmington,  and  they  had  also 
thrown  up  a  line  of  intrenchments  in  Terry's  front.  The 
fort  was  an  extensive  earthwork,  that  mounted  a  large  num 
ber  of  guns  and  commanded  the  approach  both  by  land 
and  water  ;  even  its  capture  was  not  deemed  practicable  by 
General  Terry  with  his  present  force. 


1 86  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   5.   VOLS. 

But  the  final  campaign  of  the  war  was  now  at  hand.  The 
magnificent  devices  of  General  Grant  by  which  he  hemmed 
in  the  Confederacy  on  every  side,  were  drawing  to  their  cul 
mination.  Sherman  had  made  his  march  successfully  to  the 
sea;  Thomas  had  overwhelmed  the  rebel  army  at  the  battle 
of  Nashville ;  Lee's  hold  on  his  vast  trenches  in  front  of 
Petersburg  was  shaken  ;  the  entire  Confederacy  was  on  the 
eve  of  collapse.  Grant  determined  to  open  a  way  through 
North  Carolina  to  Goldsboro'  in  readiness  for  Sherman's 
march  northward  to  that  point.  With  that  object  in  view, 
he  ordered  General  Schofield,  with  the  Twenty-third  Army 
Corps,  from  Tennessee  to  the  coast  of  North  Carolina  ;  and 
that  noble  corps  from  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  which  had  done 
famous  service  in  the  great  battles  of  the  West,  was  trans 
ferred  by  steamers  down  the  Tennessee  and  up  the  Ohio  to 
Cincinnati,  with  all  its  horses  and  artillery,  leaving  only  the 
wagons  behind  it,  and  thence  by  railroad  to  Washington  and 
Alexandria.  They  reached  the  coast  of  North  Carolina  in 
the  early  part  of  February,  one  division  (Cox's)  landing  near 
Fort  Fisher,  and  others  at  New  Berne.  Soon  Terry's  army 
of  8000  had  become  20,000  men. 

The  Department  of  North  Carolina  was  created,  and  Major- 
General  J.  M.  Schofield  assigned  to  its  command.  The 
Forty-eighth  Regiment,  with  the  brigades  of  Ames'  division 
of  the  old  Tenth  Corps,  was  now  merged  into  this  new.  army. 
They  had  served  in  the  Department  of  the  South,  in  the 
Army  of  the  James,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  now 
were  merged  into  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  in  the  Department  of 
North  Carolina  ;  and  they  were  yet  destined,  in  the  final  days 
of  the  war,  to  be  united  with  Sherman's  great  army,  that 
had  tramped  its  way  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea,  and  from  the 
sea  northward  straight  through  the  Confederacy,  to  that 
point  in  North  Carolina  where  the  rebellion  finally  and  for 
ever  came  to  its  end. 

On  February  7th  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  received  a 
reinforcement  of  two  hundred  and  ten  men  under  the  com 
mand  of  Major  Barrett,  from  their  old  camp  at  Chapin's  Farm. 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE  END.  l8/ 

Then  began  the  march  into  the  interior  of  North  Carolina, 
which  was  destined  to  be  the  last  of  their  many  campaigns. 
General  Schofield  commanded  the  army,  General  Terry  the 
corps.  On  February  1 5th  Coxe's  division  of  the  Twenty-third 
Corps  and  Ames'  of  the  Tenth  Corps  crossed  over  to  Smith- 
field,  and  advancing  along  the  main  road  to  Wilmington, 
skirmished  with  the  rebel  pickets  in  advance  lines  until  they 
met  their  main  body  at  the  works  adjacent  to  Fort  Ander 
son.  Coxe's  division  intrenched  itself  to  occupy  the  enemy, 
and  Ames'  division  moved  around  the  swamps  which  covered 
their  right,  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  miles,  in  order  to 
strike  the  Wilmington  road  in  the  rear  and  to  the  north  of 
the  fort.  Once  more  the  Forty-eighth  participated  in  an 
important  movement,  although  the  enemy  did  not  give  them 
battle  ;  for  finding  himself  in  danger  of  being  flanked,  he 
hastily  abandoned  his  works  on  the  night  of  February  iQth,. 
and  Fort  Anderson,  with  its  adjacent  defences,  fell  into  our 
hands.  The  army  continued  to  move  forward  without  any 
particular  opposition  until  they  reached  the  outskirts  of 
Wilmington  on  February  2ist. 

Here  occurred  a  battle  which  is  not  so  memorable  as  an 
engagement,  but  which  was  a  formidable  affair  to  the  Forty- 
eighth.  In  approaching  the  city,  our  brigade  received  orders 
to  march  to  the  left  through  a  narrow  road  along  which  only 
four  men  could  walk  abreast  ;  and,  suddenly,  when  the  pres 
ence  of  an  enemy  was  unsuspected,  every  bush  and  stump  in 
front  of  us  seemed  to  be  alive  with  men,  who  opened  a  terri 
ble  fire  at  short  range  immediately  upon  us.  Instantly  the 
left  wing  of  the  regiment  was  deployed  as  skirmishers,  the 
right  wing  supporting  them,  and  a  sharp  battle  ensued.  It 
was  a  constant  series  of  little  flank  movements  :  the  men 
would  run  ahead  and  with  wonderful  ingenuity  throw  up  a 
few  handfuls  of  dirt  in  front  of  them,  lying  down  behind  it,, 
firing  at  the  retreating  enemy,  then  advance  again  and  repeat 
the  movement,  then  they  would  try  flanking  them  ;  and  the 
little  battle  continued  for  hours.  Bullets  fell  thick  and  fast 
among  us ;  and  not  until  midnight,  when  the  place  was  evacu- 


188  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N,   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

ated  by  our  division,  did  we  march  back  inside  of  the  intrench- 
ments,  stack  arms,  and  go  to  sleep  on  the  ground.  The 
Forty-eighth  Regiment  was  nearly,  if  not  entirely,  the  only  one 
hotly  engaged  in  that  little  fight  ;  its  losses  were  one  officer 
and  fifteen  men.  And  Major  Barrett  assures  the  writer  that 
he  was  never  more  proud  of  the  regiment  in  all  its  history 
than  that  day  in  front  of  Wilmington. 

It  was  there  that  Major  Elfwing  was  struck  by  a  minie- 
.ball  in  the  cap  of  his  knee,  requiring  the  amputation  of  his 


PICKETS. 

leg.  When  the  surgeon  told  him  that  his  leg  must  be  cut 
off,  the  brave  fellow  replied,  "  Well,  one  pair  of  boots  will 
last  me  now  as  long  as  two  pair  will  you." 

The  next  day,  February  22d,  Wilmington  was  occupied, 
and  the  flag  of  the  Republic  floated  in  the  breeze  above  it. 
Learning  that  the  rebel  general,  Johnston,  was  in  full  retreat, 
but  that  his  march  was  impeded  by  a  large  number  of  Union 
prisoners  whom  he  had  with  him,  our  forces  started  on  a 
fierce  march  in  pursuit.  Skirmishing  with  the  rear  of  his 
columns  was  continuous,  until  at  night  our  armies  reached 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   END. 

a  little  river  which  Johnson  had  just  crossed  and  burned 
the  bridge  behind  him.  He  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  offering  to 
surrender  the  prisoners  in  his  possession.  We  received  them 
gladly  into  our  lines,  and  their  joy  was  great  at  seeing  the 
old  flag  again.  There  were  10,000  of  them,  among  whom 
were  some  who  had  been  captured  from  our  own  regiment 
at  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor,  and  all  of  them  were  naked  and 
well-nigh  starved  to  death.  Major  Barrett  says  they  "  look 
ed  like  living  skeletons."  The  men  gladly  shared  with  them 
their  rations,  and  the  childish  glee  of  the  poor,  emaciated 
fellows,  who  had  suffered  untold  privations  in  the  rebel 
prison-pens,  at  finding  themselves  among  friends  again,  and 
at  the  prospect  of  seeing  their  homes  once  more,  can  never 
be  forgotten. 

Our  forces  returned  to  Wilmington  with  the  prisoners,  and 
went  into  camp  in  a  pea-nut  field.  There  was  great  sport  at 
night  when  the  men  built  their  fires  and  the  pea-nuts  began 
to  crack.  Digging  for  pea-nuts  became  the  rage,  as  digging 
for  "  yams  "  had  been  long  before  at  Dawfuskie.  One  of  the 
prisoners  was  a  member  of  Company  B  of  the  Forty-eighth. 
He  had  been  wounded  and  captured  at  Olustee,  Fla.,  on  the 
2Oth  of  February,  1864,  and  when  he  found  himself,  after  a 
whole  year's  imprisonment,  in  the  midst  of  his  old  regiment, 
he  was  so  overjoyed  that  he  burst  into  tears  and  wept  like 
a  little  child. 

The  writer  has  not  included  in  this  sketch  of  the  history 
of  the  regiment  any  record  of  the  experiences  of  many  of 
its  members  in  rebel  prisons.  He  could  do  so  with  ease. 
Nothing  that  has  yet  been  written  has  adequately  described 
the  sufferings  that  were  there  endured.  What  with  freezing 
and  starvation,  strong  and  robust  men  were  soon  reduced  to 
gaunt  and  famished  skeletons.  Idiocy  followed,  and  after 
that  death.  At  the  most  moderate  estimate,  40,000  Union 
soldiers  died  in  the  rebel  prisons,  amid  atrocities  that  will 
remain  forever  untold.  Names  of  members  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  New  York  can  still  be  found  on  the  wooden  slabs  that 
mark  their  graves  in  the  prison  cemeteries  at  Richmond  and 


1 90  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

Andersonville,  and  every  man  of  them  might  have  lived  to 
reach  his  home  again  if  he  would  have  consented  to  betray 
his  country,  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Confed 
erate  Government ;  but  they  chose  to  die  rather  than  to  turn 
traitors.  They  loved  their  honor  more  than  they  loved  their 
lives,  and  they  did  die  in  silence  and  humility,  the  saddest 
victims  and  the  supreme  heroes  of  the  war. 

On  March  I2th  General  Schofield  received  orders  from 
General  W.  T.  Sherman  at  Fayetteville  to  march  at  once 
for  Goldsboro',  and  to  direct  General  Terry  to  do  the  same. 
Then  began  the  last  long  and  weary  march.  Starting 


ARMY  SIGNAL  TELEGRAPH. 

from  Wilmington  on  March  I5th,  the  regiment  made 
twenty-five  miles  a  day,  and  on  the  2ist  caught  their  first 
glimpse  of  Sherman's  army.  The  end  was  now  near  at  hand, 
and  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  was  destined  to  be  "  in  at 
the  finish."  Rations  had  become  scarce,  and  the  army  sub 
sisted  by  foraging  upon  the  country;  coffee  and  tea  were 
luxuries  that  had  well-nigh  been  forgotten.  On  March 
29th  Grant  was  ready  for  his  final  movement  against  Lee, 
and  on  April  2d  advanced  upon  his  works.  On  April 
3d  Lee's  army  was  in  full  retreat.  Our  forces  under 
General  Weitzel  entered  the  rebel  capital,  and  Richmond, 
after  four  years  of  cruel  fighting,  was  finally  taken. 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   EATD.  191 

But  Grant's  army  did  not  stop  to  occupy  the  city  ;  the 
major  portion  of  it  pushed  on  after  Lee,  and  Sheridan  suc 
ceeded  on  the  9th  in  intercepting  Lee's  retreat.  The  sur 
render  of  Lee  to  Grant  at  Appomattox  followed. 

During  this  time  General  Sherman  was  resting  his  army 
at  Goldsboro',  N.  C,  but  on  April  nth  orders  came  from 
Grant  to  move  forward  at  once  against  Johnston,  and  the 
only  remaining  organized  forces  of  the  rebellion.  The  news 
that  Petersburg  had  fallen,  Richmond  been  taken,  and  Lee's 


MCLEAN'S  HOUSE,  PLACE  OF  LEE'S  SURRENDER. 

army  had  capitulated,  fired  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Union 
soldiers  in  those  last  days  of  the  war.'  On  April  loth 
two  divisions  of  our  corps  started  on  their  march  toward 
Raleigh,  our  brigade  being  in  advance.  Johnston's  army 
had  destroyed  the  bridges  in  their  track,  which  greatly 
retarded  our  march  ;  the  roads  also  at  some  points  were 
hilly,  and  at  others  passed  through  low  swamps,  where 
the  men  were  obliged  to  wade  ;  and  at  night  they  slept  on 
the  ground,  with  the  sky  for  their  only  covering.  They 
reached  the  neighborhood  of  Raleigh  on  April  I4th,  and 


1 92  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S,   VOLS. 

went  into  camp  a  short  distance  outside  of  the  city.  Sher 
man  pressed  on  after  Johnston,  and  finally  met  him  at  a  place 
called  Durham  Station,  about  twenty-five  miles  beyond 
Raleigh.  There  Johnston  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce,  and  asked 
for  terms  of  surrender  for  his  army.  Sherman  agreed  to 
certain  terms,  as  is  well  known  ;  but  they  were  not  approved 
at  Washington  :  indeed,  they  were  highly  disapproved,  and 
Grant  was  sent  to  supersede  Sherman,  and  arrange  in  per 
son  for  the  capitulation  of  Johnston. 

The  assassination  of  President  Lincoln  on  April  I4th  had 
exasperated   the  North,  and  especially  the  now  victorious 


PLACE  OF  JOHNSTON'S  SURRENDER. 

Union  armies.  General  Grant  reached  Raleigh  on  the  24th 
of  April,  and  with  a  delicacy  that  has  perhaps  not  been  ap 
preciated,  refused  to  supersede  Sherman  in  the  immediate 
command  of  his  army,  and  pretended  to  act  as  a  sort  of  ad 
viser  to  him.  The  same  terms  were  finally  offered  to  John 
ston  that  Grant  had  already  made  with  Lee,  and  Johnston 
surrendered  to  Sherman,  who  had  pursued  him  so  relent 
lessly  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles.  Grant's  considera 
tion  for  Sherman  on  this  occasion  will  be  remembered  in 
history  as  one  of  many  magnanimous  things  that  immortal 
soldier  did. 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   END.      •  193 

After  Johnston's  surrender  the  Forty-eighth  remained  in 
North  Carolina,  until  it  was  finally  sent  home  and  dis 
charged.  At  Raleigh  many  of  our  officers  were  detailed 
to  special  duty  ;  for  instance,  Colonel  Coan,  who  had  been 
mustered  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  commanded  the  brigade' 
at  first  and  subsequently  the  division,  Quartermaster  Pad 
dock  was  brigade  quartermaster,  Adjutant  Seaward  was 
mustering  officer,  Captain  Milliard  ordnance  officer,  and 
Major  Barrett  provost-marshal.  The  duties  were  mainly 
such  as  the  exigencies  of  the  situation  and  the  condition  of 
the  people  in  their  new  relations  demanded. 

On  June  loth  the  remnant  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Seventeenth  New  York  Volunteers  was  consolidated  with 
the  Forty-eighth. 

It  was  while  the  regiment  was  in  camp  at 'Raleigh  that  the 
unpleasant  incident  occurred  which  chilled  the  admiration 
of  the  men  for  their  corps  commander.  A  review  was  or 
dered  by  General  Sherman,  who  said  he  wanted  to  see 
"  the  heroes  of  Fort  Fisher."  Our  forces  were  ragged  and 
footsore  from  their  long  march,  and  they  had  shared  their 
clothing  and  rations  with  the  prisoners  they  had  rescued  at 
Coxe's  Bridge.  They  had  received  many  recruits  also  after 
Fort  Fisher,  and  there  had  been  no  opportunity  to  drill 
them  ;  therefore  the  regiment  did  not  present  as  soldierly  an 
appearance  as  it  might  have  done  ;  but  Major  Barrett  (to 
whose  account  we  are  indebted  for  this  incident)  says,  "  Bad 
as  we  looked,  Sherman's  men  looked  far  worse,  and  General 
Sherman  himself  seemed  well  satisfied,  but  General  Terry 
was  mortified  and  ashamed  of  the  men  who  had  won  his 
laurels  for  him.  Next  day  he  issued  a  scathing  order,  de 
nouncing  us  in  unmeasured  terms,  and  ordering  that  we  all 
be  put  to  drill  in  the  '  school  of  the  soldier.'  Fancy  if  you 
can  our  indignation — old  veterans  who  had  fought  the  war 
through  to  be  subjected  to  this  indignity  !" 

Now  that  the  war  was  over,  military   duty   at   Raleigh, 
N.  C.,  and  along  the  railroads  was  not  particularly  interest 
ing,  and  the   men   were   greatly  anxious  to  get  home  ;   but 
13 


194  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

they  were  destined  to  spend  the  long  summer  in  the  South. 
Finally,  on  Sunday,  September  3d,  they  .took  the  cars  to 
City  Point,  then  on  to  Baltimore  by  steamer,  and  home 
by  rail.  They  reached  New  York  City  on  the  5th  of  Sep 
tember,  were  sent  to  Hart's  Island  for  some  days,  and  final 
ly,  on  September  12,  1865,  the  pay-rolls  were  signed  for  the 
last  time,  and  the  little  handful  of  veteran  heroes  that  com 
posed  the  last  of  the  brave  and  noble  regiment  at  its  final 
hour  of  life  were  mustered  out. 

And  now  that  we  have  come  to  the  end  of  this  history, 
and  look  back  at  the  four  long  years  through  which  it  has 
been  traced  thus  imperfectly,  shall  we  not  all  feel  proud  of 
the  noble  part  our  dear  old  regiment  bore  !  It  has  made  the 
poor  chronicler  of  its  deeds  love  it  more  than  ever.  What 
battles  it  fought,  what  marches  it  made,  what  sufferings  it 
endured  for  the  Republic  !  Its  career  has  been  traced  for 
you,  comrades  (and  for  your  children),  amid  many  difficul 
ties,  all  the  way  from  its  organization  at  Fort  Hamilton  in 
the  summer  of  1861,  to  Washington  and  Annapolis,  in  the 
expedition  to  Port  Royal,  at  Port  Royal  Ferry,  on  Dawfus- 
kie,  building  the  batteries  on  the  mud  islands  on  the  Savan 
nah  River,  in  Fort  Pulaski,  and  on  Tybee  ;  at  Coosawhatchie 
and  Bluffton,  to  St.  Helena  and  Folly  Islands,  at  the  storm 
ing  of  Morris  Island,  at  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  at 
Olustee  ;  then  in  the  Army  of  the  James  at  Chester  Heights, 
Drewry's  Bluff,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg  mine  explosion, 
Deep  Bottom,  Strawberry  Plains,  Chapin's  Farm,  New  Mar 
ket  Heights,  Fort  Gilmer,  Fort  Fisher,  Wilmington,  Raleigh, 
and  back  to  New  York  again.  It  went  to  the  field  in  1861 
with  964  men  ;  and  during  the  four  years  about  1250  recruits 
and  transfers  were  added  to  it.  Its  losses  in  battle  were  nine 
hundred  and  forty-seven,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
deaths  from  disease.  Let  us  not  claim  for  it  honors  supe 
rior  to  those  of  many  other  regiments  in  the  army  ;  but  its 
career  lasted  through  the  whole  four  years,  and  whatever 
work  was  assigned  to  it,  that  it  did  faithfully. 


FOR '7'  FISHER    TO    THE   END.  1 95 

May  this  chapter  close  with  a  few  words  concerning  cer 
tain  officers  of  the  regiment  of  whom  too  little  has  been 
said? 

The  Forty-eighth  had  two  chaplains  and  several  surgeons 
and  assistant-surgeons.  A  note  has  been  received  from  the 
Rev.  William  Howell  Taylor,  dated  St.  Augustine,  Fla., 
which  gives  a  brief  account  of  how  he  came  to  be  the  second 
chaplain  of  the  regiment.  He  says: 

"In  1863,  being  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  Clifton, 
S.  I.,  I  took  the  superior  work  of  the  Christian  Commission  in  the  De 
partment  of  the  South  for  six  months,  my  congregation  being  unwilling 
to  release  me,  and  giving  me  leave  of  absence  for  that  period.  I 
accompanied  the  expedition  to  Florida.  On  returning  to  my  congre 
gation  I  received  a  request  from  the  commanding  officers  of  the 
Forty-seventh,  Forty-eighth,  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  New 
York  regiments  and  a  formal  invitation  from  the  Forty-eighth  to  be 
come  chaplain.  I  finally  brought  the  matter  before  my  people,  re 
signed,  accepted  the  commission,  and  was  mustered  in.  I  served  with 
the  regiment  in  Virginia  and  on  the  expedition  to  Fort  Fisher,  etc. 
Then  was  ordered  to  Point  of  Rocks  Hospital,  where  I  was  when  Rich 
mond  was  evacuated,  and  entered  the  city  the  day  it  fell.  Mustered 
out  in  June;  elected  chaplain  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  but  failing 
health  compelled  me  to  give  up  my  church  in  Brooklyn  and  all  official 
positions,  and  travel.  I  have  now  been  an  invalid  for  eight  years,  most 
of  the  time  South." 

From  our  first  chaplain,  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  P.  Strickland, 
there  has  been  received  a  longer  account  of  his  services.  He 
says  that  one  day  he — 

"  was  in  company  with  Colonel  Perry,  who  said  to  me,  '  I  have 
many  applications  for  the  chaplaincy  of  my  regiment,  but  I  want  you 
for  that  post.'  My  son  being  one  of  his  captains  was  urged  as  an 
additional  reason  why  I  should  join  the  Forty-eighth  ;  and  I  was 
appointed  chaplain  by  Colonel  Perry,  and  at  once  entered  upon  my 
duties,  preaching  every  Sunday  to  the  regiment  stationed  at  Camp 
Wyman,  and  offering  prayers  at  dress-parade.  My  commission  bears 
date  December  14,  1861,  although  I  entered  the  service  earlier.  Some 
of  the  commissioned  officers  and  quite  a  number  of  the  men  were 
members  of  the  church,  which  circumstance  gave  the  regiment  the  name 
of  '  Perry's  Saints.'  I  visited  the  sick,  and  distributed  papers  and  reli 
gious  books  and  tracts  in  the  tents.  While  at  Dawfuskie  Island  I  had 


IQO  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

a  place  prepared  for  holding  meetings  in  the  woods.  A  rude  pulpit 
was  made,  and  the  regiment  sat  around  on  the  grass  and  leaves.  Those 
who  refused  to  attend  were  formed  in  a  company  and  roughly  exer 
cised  in  the  double-quick.  I  thought  there  was  more  sin  in  this  than 
in  not  attending  meeting,  though  the  army  regulations  required  at 
tendance  at  religious  worship.  Afterwards,  at  Fort  Pulaski,  as  there 
was  quite  a  number  of  Roman  Catholics  in  the  regiment,  who  were 
forbidden  by  their  church  to  attend  Protestant  worship,  I  succeeded 
in  having  them  excused.  I  wrote  to  Archbishop  Hughes  of  New 
York,  requesting  him  to  send  me  a  priest,  promising  to  take  him 
into  my  casemate,  and  afford  him  every  facility  for  ministering  to  his 
brethren.  In  reply,  he  thanked  me  for  this  kind  feeling,  but  could  not 
comply  with  my  request,  as  the  regiment  was  in  the  diocese  of  the 
Bishop  of  Savannah.  When  the  Catholics  learned  of  my  interest  in 
their  behalf  the  most  of  them  afterwards  attended  worship. 

"  A  casemate  was  assigned  me  for  meetings  in  the  fort,  which  we 
held  every  night,  except  Saturday,  which  was  set  apart  for  temperance 
meetings.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized,  with  five  teachers  and 
sixty  scholars ;  also  one  for  the  contrabands,  with  a  hundred  scholars. 
I  also  organized  a  church,  and  appointed  exhorters  and  class-leaders. 
On  Sunday,  the  casemate  being  too  small,  I  preached  on  the  terre- 
plein.  I  also  formed  a  class  at  the  Martello  Tower,  and  one  for  the 
colored  people  at  the  Sky  Lark  House,  near  the  dock.  I  never  wit 
nessed  more  interesting  meetings  than  some  we  held  in  the  casemate, 
and  witnessed  several  conversions.  I  also  visited  the  hospitals  daily, 
prayed  with  the  sick,  and  gave  a  word  of  exhortation.  Many  who  say 
that  the  chaplaincy  is  a  sinecure  know  not  of  what  they  affirm.  While 
I  was  absent  at  home  on  a  furlough  Colonel  Perry  was  suddenly  called 
to  another  world.  When  I  returned  I  improved  the  occasion  by  a 
sermon  in  commemoration,  in  which  I  admonished  his  fellow-officers 
and  men  'to  be  also  ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the 
Son  of  man  cometh.' 

"  General  Mitchel  was  ordered  to  succeed  General  Hunter.  When 
I  met  him  on  the  Arago,  having  previously  known  him  in  Cincinnati, 
I  said  to  him, '  What  brought  you  here,  General  ?  '  He  replied,  '  I  came 
here  to  be  buried.'  Whether  he  meant  this  remark  as  figurative  or 
literal  I  know  not,  but  it  signally  proved  to  be  the  latter.  One  morn 
ing  I  was  surprised  to  learn  from  the  signal  officer  that  General 
Mitchel  had  ordered  Colonel  Barton  to  send  me  at  once  by  the  steamer 
to  Beaufort.  Many  were  the  surmises  in  regard  to  this  order.  Though 
one  or  both  of  General  Mitchel's  sons  had  died  of  yellow  fever,  they 
thought  it  strange,  having  so  many  chaplains  around  him,  he  should 
send  for  me.  The  officers  objected  to  my  going,  not  only  on  my  own 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   END.  1 97 

account,  but  the  danger  of  my  bringing  the  fever  to  the  fort.  I  said 
I  would  obey  orders  if  I  took  the  fever  and  died  ;  but  I  had  no  fear, 
as  the  path  of  duty  is  the  only  path  of  safety. 

"On  entering  General  Mitchel's  room  he  beckoned  me  to  come  to 
his  side,  and,  taking  my  hand,  requested  me  to  offer  prayer.  He  said 
the  religion  which  he  had  professed  for  thirty  years  sustained  him  in 
that  hour.  When  he  became  so  ill  that  he  lost  the  power  of  speech, 
he  raised  his  left  arm  and  pointed  with  his  index-finger  to  the  skies. 
Then  letting  it  fall  gently,  he  raised  his  right  arm,  and,  pointing  up 
ward,  closed  his  eyes  and  fell  asleep.  He  must  have  had  a  vision  be 
yond  the  stars  more  glorious  than  any  he  had  seen  through  his  great 
telescope  at  Mount  Adams.  I  preached  a  funeral  discourse  and  read 
the  burial-service  at  the  church  and  grave.  On  my  return  I  repeated 
the  sermon  in  the  fort  at  the  request  of  Colonel  Barton.  It  was  after 
ward  published  in  the  Christian  Advocate  of  New  York.  I  remained 
with  the  regiment  until  my  wife  became  dangerously  ill,  when  I  re 
signed.  She  died  shortly  after  I  came  home. 

"  Thus  I  have  given  you  a  few  incidents  of  my  life  in  the  service.  My 
diary,  which  I  kept,  contains  incidents  enough  to  fill  a  volume;  but  I 
trust  the  above  short  sketch  will  be  all  that  is  necessary  for  your  pur 
pose.  God  bless  you  in  your  work. 

"Yours  truly,  W.  P.  STRICKLAND." 

Chaplain  Strickland  died  in  July,  1884,  at  Ocean  Grove, 
N.  J. 

The  first  surgeon  of  the  regiment  was  Joseph  L.  Mulford, 
M.D.;  he  was  practising  medicine  at  Matawan,  N.  J.,  when 
the  war  broke  out  ;  he  enlisted  with  the  Forty-eighth  New 
York,  and  was  commissioned  surgeon  in  October,  1861,  to 
rank  from  the  preceding  5th  of  September.  He  was  with  the 
regiment  on  the  Port  Royal  expedition,  and  indeed  through 
out  its  career,  until  the  fall  of  '64.  Often  he  was  assigned 
to  the  staff  of  brigade  commanders,  and  at  one  time  he  was 
division  surgeon.  He  was  especially  skilful  in  surgical 
operations,  and  the  most  of  our  desperately  wounded  men 
at  Morris  Island  and  at  Fort  Wagner  came  under  his  kindly 
care.  He  was  engaged  in  operating  upon  and  attending 
the  wounded  after  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  for  four  days 
and  nights  without  rest ;  indeed,  after  every  battle  the  boys 
who  had  the  misfortune  to  be  wounded  found  relief  at 
Surgeon  Mulford's  hand. 


1 98  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

In  the  fall  of  '64  he  accepted  a  staff  position,  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  at  the  hospitals  at  the  headquarters  of 
the  general  army  corps  for  the  winter.  In  the  succeeding 
May  he  was  sent  to  New  Berne,  N.  C,  and  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Foster  General  Hospital ;  thence  he  was  sent  to 
Greensboro',  N.  C.,  receiving  his  final  discharge  August  25, 
1865.  While  holding  his  staff  position  he  was  often  in 
charge  of  steamers  used  for  conveying  the  wounded  to 
Hampton,  Norfolk,  and  Washington, — among  others  the 
steamers  Matilda,  the  Thomas  Powell,  and  the  George  Wash 
ington,  operating  day  and  night. 

The  foregoing  brief  record  is  a  poor  and  inadequate  ac 
count  of  the  great  and  invaluable  service  which  Dr.  Mulford 
rendered  to  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment.  After  the  war 
he  settled  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  where  he  practised 
his  profession  successfully  until  1880,  when,  his  health  fail 
ing,  he  was  given  a  contract  as  acting  assistant-surgeon,  and 
spent  three  years  with  the  army  in  Texas.  In  the  summer 
of  1883  he  returned  North  with  restored  health,  and  is  now 
(1885)  practising  his  profession  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J., 
and  in  New  York  City. 

Quartermaster  Irving  M.  Avery,  to  whom  the  regiment 
owed  so  much,  and  whom  all  trusted  and  esteemed,  stayed 
with  us  his  full  three  years.  He  was  attentive  to  all  of  our 
interests  and  unwearied  in  his  care  for  us.  Few  regiments 
could  boast  of  a  Quartermaster  so  efficient,  and  none  of  one 
more  popular.  He  now  resides  in  Brooklyn,  is  hale  and 
happy,  and  he  and  his  good  wife  are  still  our  valued  friends. 

The  writer  began  this  history  with  the  sketch  of  its  first 
Colonel,  James  H.  Perry.  How  can  he  better  close  it  than 
by  a  brief  sketch  of  its  last  commander,  WILLIAM  B.  COAN? 
Colonel  Coan  was  born  in  Exeter,  Penobscot  County,  Me., 
October  19,  1830.  His  grandfather,  Captain  Elisha  Coan, 
was  a  Cape  Cod  sea-captain,  who  was  taken  prisoner  and  con 
fined  in  England  during  the  French  spoliation.  The  Colo 
nel's  father,  Abraham  Coan,  was  also  a  native  of  Maine,  and 
moved  to  Exeter  in  his  eighteenth  year.  He  married  Mary 


WILLIAM  B.  COAN, 

THIRD  COLONEL  48th,  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 


FORT  FISHER    TO    THE   END.  199 

Abbott.  The  Colonel  was  the  second  son,  the  family  consist 
ing  of  six  brothers  and  one  sister.  Only  one  brother,  Captain 
Alonzo  Coan  of  Boulder,  Col.,  and  the  sister,  Mrs.  James  R. 
Simpson,  of  Lawrence,  Mass.,  survive.  Colonel  Coan  went 
from  Maine  to  New  York  when  a  boy,  and  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  was  a  partner  in  a  restaurant  on  Chambers  Street.  He 
went  to  the  front  for  thirty  days  with  New  York's  famous 
Seventh  Regiment,  and  returning,  raised  Company  E  for  the 
Forty-eighth  New  York,  and  was  commissioned  its  Captain. 
He  served  through  the  war  from  the  first  to  the  last,  being 
one  of  the  four  original  commissioned  officers  of  the  regi 
ment  who  remained  with  it  at  its  final  discharge.  He  was 
three  times  wounded,  once  in  the  leg,  once  in  the  ear, 
and  the  third  and  most  serious  one,  a  scalp-wound,  at  Fort 
Fisher.  He  received  repeated  mention  in  official  orders  for 
gallantry  of  conduct  in  battle.  No  man  ever  doubted  his 
bravery.  After  the  war  Colonel  Coan  settled  in  Lawrence, 
Mass.,  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  until  his  death, 
on  January  28,  1877. 

The  Colonel  was  married,  and  leaves  one  son,  William  A. 
Coan.  Colonel  Coan  was  brave  in  battle,  honest  in  his  deal 
ings,  liberal-hearted,  unassuming,  and  quick  in  his  sensibili 
ties.  He  wilfully  wronged  no  man.  His  sense  of  honor  was 
keen,  and  what  he  believed  to  be  the  right,  that  he  did.  The 
writer  is  indebted  to  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  J.  R.  Simpson, 
for  the  foregoing  data.  He  had,  however,  seen  Colonel 
Coan  since  the  war,  having  called  upon  him  at  his  store  in 
Lawrence  two  or  three  times.  His  sudden  and  sad  death 
was  a  great  shock  to  all  who  loved  him.  His  record  is  the 
record  of  his  regiment  ;  whoever  would  know  in  what  battles 
he  participated,  let  them  follow  the  fortunes  of  Company  E 
and  the  Forty-eighth  New  York.  He  was  a  member  of 
Post  No.  39,  G.  A.  R.  of  Massachusetts  ;  beyond  that  he 
belonged  to  no  secret  organizations.  The  survivors  of  the 
Forty-eighth  Regiment  will  ever  cherish  the  memory  of 
their  last  commander,  Colonel  William  Bloomfield  Coan. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Sketches  of  the  Companies. 

COMPANY  A. 

BY   GEO.    W.    BRUSH. 

Company  A,  Forty-eighth  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  was 
the  first  company  of  that  regiment  organized.  Recruiting 
for  it  began  on  the  Qth  day  of  July,  1861.  On  that  day 
Mr.  B.  R.  Corwin  of  Brooklyn,  who  afterwards  became  the 
First  Lieutenant  of  the  company,  opened  an  office  in  At 
lantic  Street  at  his  own  expense.  These  were  not  the  days 
of  thousand-dollar  bounties,  and  the  young  men  who  signed 
the  roll  of  the  organization  were  actuated  by  no  other  mo 
tive  than  that  of  patriotic  love  of  their  country  and  a  firm 
resolve  to  stand  by  the  old  flag.  With  this  end  in  view 
they  obtained  the  promise  from  Colonel  Perry  that  they 
should  be  the  color  company.  Some  of  the  first  to  join, 
were  originally  from  Huntington,  Long  Island,  and  vicinity, 
and  their  old  friends  at  home,  hearing  of  their  enlistment,, 
came  down  and  cast  in  their  lot  with  them,  until  about  one 
quarter  of  the  whole  number  were  Huntington  "  boys." 

Recruiting  became  so  lively,  and  those  already  in  were  so> 
active,  that  more  than  the  required  one  hundred  men  were 
obtained,  and  about  fifty  men  were  assigned  to  other 
companies  who  were  originally  enlisted  for  Company  A. 

By  the  middle  of  August  as  fine  a  set  of  men  as  any 
officer  could  wish  to  command  answered  to  the  reveille 
roll-call  at  "  Camp  Wyman,"  near  Fort  Hamilton,  and  after 
the  fatigue  of  the  drill  during  the  day,  and  the  "  left," 
"left,"  "left  "  of  the  drill-sergeant  was  over,  as  night  came 
on,  songs  and  earnest  prayers  might  be  heard  in  some  of 


SKETCHES   OF   7^HE   COMPANIES.  2OI 

the  tents,  evincing  the  fact  that  these  men,  like  Cromwell's, 
were  soldiers  of  the  cross.  The  blood  of  some  of  the 
best  families  of  Brooklyn  and  vicinity  was  here,  and  proved 
itself  in  the  work  which  the  company  did  in  the  field 
afterward. 

Louis  H.  Lent,  a  former  member  of  the  Seventh  Regi 
ment  of  New  York,  was  appointed  Captain  of  the  company. 
This  position  was  first  offered  to  Mr.  Corwin,  but  he  de 
clined,  with  the  request  that  Mr.  Lent  should  take  it  on 
account  of  his*  experience  in  the  Seventh  Regiment,  Mr. 
Corwin  accepting  the  First  Lieutenancy,  and  Mr.  A.  H. 
Ferguson  the  Second  Lieutenancy. 

The  following  is  the  roll  of  non-commissioned  officers  as 
mustered  into  the  service  : 

J.  G.  Hamil,  First  Sergeant. 
Chas.  Fox,  Second  Sergeant. 
Robt.  F.  Mackellar,  Third  Sergeant. 
William  A.  Corwin,  Fourth  Sergeant. 
E.  B.  Spooner,  Fifth  Sergeant. 
William  H.  Conklin,  First  Corporal. 
George  W.  Brush,  Second  Corporal. 
T.  Jarvis  Carman,  Third  Corporal. 
Geo.  S.  D.  Vredenberg,  Fourth  Corporal. 
Elliott  B.  Dupree,  Fifth  Corporal. 
George  D.  Hunter,  Sixth  Corporal. 
William  A.  Powelson,  Seventh  Corporal. 
James  Himrod,  Eighth  Corporal. 

The  company  was  mustered  into  the  service  August  19, 
1861. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Solomon  W.  Price,  at  Hilton 
Head,  who  succumbed  to  a  disease  induced  by  the  change  of 
climate.  The  next  was  that  of  Corporal  DeWitt  C.  Dutcher, 
who  walked  overboard  in  his  sleep  from  the  deck  of  the 
steamer  Winfield  Scott  when  the  regiment  was  on  the  way 
to  Dawfuskie  Island,  and  was  drowned.  John  Brush  died  at 
Dawfuskie  Island,  S.  C.,  in  April,  1862.  Never  strong,  he  fell 


202  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

a  victim  to  consumption,  his  death  hastened  by  hardships  en 
dured  while  building  the  batteries  upon  Jones's  Island.  After 
this  there  was  a  lull  in  the  death-call.  The  company  did  ser 
vice  in  Fort  Pulaski  after  its  capture,  and  upon  Tybee  Island. 
Many  of  the  boys  who  survive  will  remember  the  raid  of 
some  twenty  of  the  company  upon  Dawfuskie  Island  for 
sweet  potatoes  and  eggs,  on  New  Year's  Day,  1863,  when 
these  delicacies,  purchased  of  the  "  darkies,"  formed  the 
principal  portion  of  the  bill  of  fare.  Rosebuds  and  choice 
flowers  from  the  adjoining  garden  adorned  the  table,  while 
tin  plates  and  cups  from  Uncle  Sam's  crockery  store  filled 
out  the  picture,  and  a  set  of  schoolboys  on  a  lark  never  en 
joyed  a  day  more.  On  our  way  home  we  got  into  the  surf 
on  the  bar,  and  came  near  being  swamped,  but  beyond  a 
great  fright  and  a  thorough  wetting  none  were  harmed. 

Others  will  remember  the  "  coon-hunt"  on  Tybee  Island, 
and  the  "  non-coms'  "  coon-stew  dinner  afterwards — relished 
as  no  dinner  at  Delmonico's  has  been  since;  the  perform 
ances  of  the  Jam  Club,  who  sang  and  often  thought  of  "  The 
Girl  I  left  behind  me :"  these  all  helped  to  soften  the  sterner 
realities  of  camp-life.  In  the  latter  part  of  June  the  regi 
ment  was  ordered  to  Folly  Island,  S.  C.,  to  aid  in  the  siege 
of  Charleston.  Then  the  angel  of  death  began  to  call  his 
roll  again.  On  the  morning  of  July  roth,  Captain  Lent,  while 
leading  his  company  in  the  first  assault  on  Morris  Island,  was 
shot  and  instantly  killed.  Andrew  Foss  and  William  H. 
Ferguson  were  also  killed.  On  the  1 8th  came  the  fearful 
and  bloody  assault  upon  Fort  Wagner;  and  here  Lieutenant 
Fox,  who  had  assumed  command  on  the  death  of  Captain 
Lent,  was  mortally  wounded  while  leading  the  charge. 
Jesse  G.  Smith,  T.  J.  Carman,  and  many  others  fell  in  this 
charge  or  were  taken  prisoners.  On  Sunday  morning,  July 
iQth,  the  day  after  the  battle,  only  seventeen  men  (some  of 
these  men  being  wounded),  in  command  of  Sergeant  Robert 
F.  Mackellar,  answered  reveille  roll-call,  the  others  being 
either  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners. 

The  company  had  previous  to  this  time  furnished  a  num- 


SKETCHES   OF    THE    COMPANIES.  203 

ber  of  commissioned  officers  for  the  new  regiments  formed 
under  Father  Abraham's  call  for  "  three  hundred  thousand 
more."  Two  or  three  had  been  commissioned  in  the  colored 
regiments  organized  by  General  Hunter,  so  that  now  the 
company's  ranks  were  sadly  thinned. 

From  Morris  Island  we  went  to  Florida,  and  a  few  months 
afterward  came  the  battle  of  Olustee,  which  added  others  to 
the  number  of  the  slain.  The  company  continued  with  the 
regiment  to  the  last,  participating  in  all  its  battles. 

Of  the  original  number  who  went  out  from  Camp  Wyman 
in  1861  there  are  now  (1883)  some  fifteen  survivors,  mostly 
settled  in  Brooklyn,  and  they  look  back  with  pride  and  plea 
sure  upon  the  record  of  the  company,  and  forward  to  the 
time  when  they  shall  join  their  comrades  and  answer  the 
roll-call  in  the  last  grand  muster,  when  the  Great  Captain 
shall  say,  "  Well  done." 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  those  promoted 
from  the  company : 

B.  R.  Corwin,  Major  Thirty-fourth  U.  S.  C.  T. 

A.  H.  Ferguson,  Captain  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

John  G.  Hamel,  Captain  Thirty-fourth  U.  S.  C.  T. 

Charles  Fox,  Second  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

Robt.  F.  Mackellar,  First  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

James  Himrod,  First  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

William  H.  Conant,  Captain  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
seventh  N.  Y.  V. 

George  W.  Brush,  Captain  Thirty-fourth  U.  S.  C.  T. 

D.  B.  Fletcher,  Captain  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

Jos.  M.  Williams,  Second  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

E.  J.  Barney,  Second  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 
G.  K.  Doughty,  Second  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.Y.  V. 
William     H.    Conklin,   Second    Lieutenant    Forty-eighth 

N.  Y.  V. 


204  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  AT.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  B. 

BY   JAMES    A.    BARRETT. 

Company  B  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Camp  Wy- 
man,  near  Fort  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  September  5,  1861,  with 
the  following  officers: 

Captain — Edmund  R.  Travis  of  Peekskill,  N.  Y. 

First  Lieutenant — Nere  A.  Elfwing  of  Sweden. 

Second  Lieutenant — Theo.  C.  Vidal  of  New  York. 

Captain  Travis  kept  a  country  store  in  Peekskill  before  the 
war,  and  belonged  to  the  "  Jefferson  Guards"  of  that  place. 
He  recruited  about  twenty  men  from  Peekskill  and  vicin 
ity,  and  as  many  more  while  in  Camp  Wyman.  When 
the  regiment  left  the  State,  Company  B  had  only  about 
forty  men,  while  several  other  companies  had  over  one  hun 
dred.  At  Annapolis,  Md.,  all  the  companies  were  equalized, 
and  Company  B  was  filled  up.  Captain  Travis  served  with 
credit  with  his  company  until  August  30,  1862,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  a  position  as  Major  in  the  Sixth  Regiment 
New  York  Heavy  Artillery.  He  was  afterwards  promoted 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  that  regiment. 

First  Lieutenant  Nere  A.  Elfwing  had  seen  service  in  his 
native  country,  and  to  his  energy,  discipline,  and  thorough 
military  training  the  company  was  largely  indebted  for  its 
future  grand  record,  of  which  every  Company  B  man  has  a 
right  to  be  proud.  Lieutenant  Elfwing  was  skilled  in  the 
sword-exercise,  and  spent  many  an  hour  in  teaching  it  to 
the  officers  of  the  regiment.  He  was  promoted  to  Captain, 
Major,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Second  Lieutenant  T.  C.  Vidal  was  detailed  as  Signal 
Officer,  and  rendered  valuable  service  in  that  position,  and 
was  formally  transferred  to  the  Signal  Corps  in  June,  1864. 
He  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  and  Captain  in  the 
regiment,  but  declined  the  latter  commission,  preferring  that 
of  First  Lieutenant  in  the  Signal  Corps. 


SKETCHES   OF    THE    COMPANIES.  2O5 

COMPANY  C. 

BY   HENRY   ACKER. 

Company  C,  Forty-eighth  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  was 
organized  and  recruited  by  Captain  James  Farrell  of  Brook 
lyn  ;  First  Lieutenant  George  Macardle,  Brooklyn  ;  Second 
Lieutenant  Townsend  L.  Hatfield,  New  York;  Orderly  Ser 
geant  Henry  Acker,  Sergeants  Harman  C.  Schultz,  Sanford 
H.  Frankenberg,  John  Vanderbilt,  and  Corporal  Lorenzo 
Bond  ;  and  was  mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  at  Camp 
Wyman  on  the  loth  day  of  September,  1861,  and  participa 
ted  in  every  engagement  of  the  regiment.  The  company 
suffered  its  most  severe  loss  at  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner, 
July  18,  1863,  in  which  the  brave  and  gallant  Captain 
James  Farrell  and  First  Lieutenant  Robert  S.  Edwards  were 
killed  while  heroically  leading  the  company  in  that  terrible 
conflict.  The  Company  also  lost  heavily  at  the  battle  of 
Olustee.  Captain  Moser  was  killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 
Bluff,  and  Lieutenant  Ingraham  at  Cold  Harbor. 

Captain  Joseph  R.  Taylor  succeeded  Captain  Moser  in 
•command  of  the  company,  and  after  his  discharge  on  ac 
count  of  wounds,  Captain  A.  H.  Ferguson,  formerly  of  Com 
pany  I,  and  who  had  been  recommissioned,  was  assigned  to 
•Company  C,  and  remained  with  it  until  it  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service. 

The  casualties  in  Company  C  were  larger  than  in  any 
other  company  of  the  regiment.  This  fact  speaks  volumes 
for  the  gallantry  and  service  rendered  by  it. 

Six  enlisted  men  became  commissioned  officers,  as  follows  : 

Henry  Acker,  First  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

Harman  C.  Schultz,  First  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.Y.V. 

Henry  Lang,  Captain  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

Jeremiah  O'Brien,  First  Lieutenant  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 

Sidney  A.  Groser,  Second  Lieutenant  One  Hundred  and 
Fortieth  N.  Y.  V. 

John  P.  Welch,  Assistant  Engineer  U.  S.  Navy. 


206  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  D— "THE  DIE-NO-MORES." 

.     BY  WM.  J.  CARLTON. 

This  company  was  organized  by  its  first  commandanty 
Captain  D.  C.  Knowles,  who,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebel 
lion,  was  a  teacher  of  languages  in  a  seminary  at  Penningtonr 
N.  J.,  and  a  clergyman. 

Under  the  impulse  of  duty  and  the  stirrings  of  patriotism 
he  early  resolved  to  offer  his  services  to  the  government 
should  there  be  a  call  for  volunteers,  and  began  at  once  the 
study  of  military  tactics,  using  for  an  imaginary  company  a 
set  of  chessmen  ;  and  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  rules  of 
war  and  the  regulations  of  the  army. 

The  name  and  reputation  of  Colonel  Perry  attracted  the 
attention  of  Captain  Knowles,  and  he  received  from  him 
authority  to  recruit  a  company  for  a  regiment  to  be  under 
the  direct  orders  of  the  general  government. 

By  circulars  and  personal  appeals,  some  of  them  made  at 
religious  meetings,  dressed  in  uniform,  he  soon  had  in  camp 
at  Fort  Hamilton  the  nucleus  of  a  company.  Within  a 
month  the  maximum  number  was  enrolled,  and  several  ad 
ditional  recruits  were  turned  over  to  other  companies. 

The  moral  and  social  qualities  of  the  men  were  far  above 
the  average.  Several  came  from  educational  institutions. 
A  majority  were  from  the  rural  districts  of  New  Jersey,  and 
for  this  reason  Company  D  was  known  as  the  "  Jersey  Com 
pany,"  as  well  as  the  "  Die-no-mores."  This  last  sobriquet 
came  from  the  refrain  of  the  favorite  song  of  some  of  its 
members,  and  clung  to  it  long  after  the  company  had  lost 
its  reputation  for  piety. 

From  the  first  the  company  took  a  high  rank  in  the  regi 
ment  both  for  discipline  and  drill.  Particular  attention  was 
given  to  these  qualities  by  Captain  Knowles,  heartily  aided 
by  Lieutenants  Paxson  and  Bodine.  On  the  ground  of 
merit  it  ranked  equal  to  any  company,  and  therefore  was 
assigned  to  the  left  flank  in  regimental  formation. 


SKETCHES   OF    THE    COMPANIES.  2O/ 

Company  D  was  a  typical  body  of  American  volunteers 
in  the  best  and  truest  sense — in  intelligence,  moral  and 
physical  worth.  \\.s  personnel  compared  favorably  with  the 
highest.  None  excelled  it  and  few  equalled  it  among  the 
thousands  of  companies  that  followed  the  Union  banner 
through  the  four  years  of  the  war. 

The  descriptive  list  of  the  company  shows  that  of  the 
eighty-seven  officers  and  enlisted  men  remaining  after  the 
transfer  of  fifteen  to  Company  B  at  Annapolis,  to  equalize  the 
companies  of  the  regiment,  seventy-eight  were  American 
born,  fifty-eight  being  natives  of  New  Jersey.  Forty-seven 
were  farmers,  twenty-three  mechanics,  nine  teachers  and 
students,  and  eight  were  engaged  in  mercantile  pur 
suits.  The  average  age  was  twenty-one  years  and  eight 
months,  and  the  average  height  was  five  feet  six  and  a 
half  inches.  Z.  Sithen  and  J.  M.  Tantum  were  the  tallest, 
and  G.  H.  Richman,  P.  Parkin,  and  A.  J.  Palmer  were  the 
shortest  in  stature.  R.  R.  Croasdale  was  the  oldest  and 
A.  J.  Palmer  the  youngest. 

The  record  of  the  company  shows  that  of  the  original 
eighty-seven,  twenty  were  killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds, 
four  succumbed  to  disease  in  hospital,  and  two  starved  to 
death  in  rebel  prisons.  Fifteen  were  discharged  for  disease 
contracted  in  the  service,  or  on  account  of  wounds  in  battle. 
Seven  were  transferred  to  the  Invalid  and  Reserve  Corps. 
These  casualties  were  fifty-five  per  centum  of  the  whole 
number.  Several  additions  might  be  properly  included  of 
those  who  received  their  discharge  in  hospital  at  the  expira 
tion  of  term  of  service,  and  thus  increasing  the  percentage 
of  casualties.  Fifteen  were  discharged  at  the  expiration  of 
original  term  of  enlistment,  in  September,  1864,  and  fifteen 
served  until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  after  exactly 
four  years  of  service.  Twenty-eight  re-enlisted  and  be 
came  "  Veterans."  Seven  enlisted  men  became  commis 
sioned  officers,  and  one  was  appointed  a  cadet  at  West 
Point  Military  Academy.  One  was  promoted  to  non-com 
missioned  staff.  Thirty-one  received  wounds  not  fatal,, 


208  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

several  from  two  to  four.  Seven  were  captured  by  the 
enemy  and  suffered  the  tortures  of  Andersonville  and  Belle 
Isle.  In  ten  days,  July  10  to  18,  1863,  the  company  lost 
fourteen  killed  and  fatally  wounded,  and  twenty-two  were 
wounded  and  five  taken  prisoners ;  total,  forty-one,  or  more 
than  three  quarters  of  the  number  engaged. 

Not  one  deserted,  or  failed  to  receive  an  honorable  dis 
charge. 

Such  are  the  statistics  of  the  original  company.  The 
history  of  the  regiment  is  the  history  of  the  company, 
for  it  was  inseparably  connected  with  it.  It  was  never  on 
detached  service.  Wherever  the  regiment  went,  or  even 
a  battalion  of  it,  there  Company  D  was  to  be  found.  At 
the  capture  of  Morris  Island,  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner, 
at  Olustee,  in  the  engagements  between  the  James  and  the 
Appomattox  in  May,  1864;  at  Cold  Harbor,  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  in  the  battles  north  of  the  James,  in  the  two 
expeditions  against  Fort  Fisher,  and  in  the  advance  on 
Wilmington,  Company  D  never  failed  to  leave  evidences 
of  its  valor  in  the  loss  of  life  and  limb. 

COMPANY  E. 

BY    GEO.    W.    FAGANS. 

Company  E  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Camp  Wy- 
man,  Fort  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  on  the  2/.th  day  of  August, 
1861,  its  officers  being — (i)  Wm.  B.  Coan,  Captain,  who  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Seventh  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  serving  thirty  days,  and  on  his  return 
ing  home  began  recruiting  this  company.  (2)  Frederick 
Hurst,  First  Lieutenant,  was  a  native  of  England  and  a  resi 
dent  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  also  a  member  of  the 
Seventh  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  serving  thirty  days  as  a  private,  and 
on  returning  home  became  interested  in  recruiting  Company 
E  with  Captain  Coan.  (3)  Robert  S.  Edwards,  Second 
Lieutenant,  was  a  native  of  New  York  City  and  a  resident 
of  Brooklyn,  and  was  connected  with  the  well-known  firm 


SKETCHES  OF    THE    COMPANIES. 

of  Richards,  Haight  &  Co.,  of  Barclay  Street,  New  York 
City.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  offered  his  services 
and  was  accepted  in  this  company.  The  company  was  re 
cruited  in  New  York  City,  its  members  being  residents  of 
New  York  State,  New  York  City,  New  Jersey,  Massachu 
setts,  and  Connecticut.  Captain  Coan  recruited  29  and 
Lieutenant  Hurst  recruited  60  members  ;  total,  89.  There 
fore  Company  E  left  Camp  Wyman  with  89  enlisted  men 
and  its  full  complement  of  officers.  The  members  of  this 
company,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  were  young  men,  their 
ages  ranging  from  eighteen  to  thirty-five,  and  they  were  a 
credit  to  the  regiment,  as  their  record  will  show.  At  the 
issue  of  orders  from  Washington  in  1863,  calling  on  men  who 
had  served  two  years  to  re-enlist  for  three  years  more, 
37  members  of  this  company  responded,  and  but  15  re 
mained  to  be  mustered  out  in  1865  with  the  regiment. 
Of  those  who  did  not  re-enlist,  but  whose  term  expired  in 
1864,  but  26  remained  to  be  mustered  out.  It  had 
3  officers  killed  and  6  wounded,  and  also  21  enlisted 
men  killed  and  61  wounded,  and  9  died  prisoners  of  war  in 
rebel  prisons.  It  had  one  commissioned  officer  promoted  to 
field-officer,  and  nine  non-commissioned  officers  promoted  to 
commissioned  officers.  Captain  William  B.  Coan  was  pro 
moted  to  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  afterward  Colonel 
in  command  of  the  regiment.  He  was  a  good  and  brave 
officer,  and  was  wounded  three  times  while  in  the  service 
with  the  regiment.  Lieutenant  Frederick  Hurst  was  pro 
moted  to  Captain  of  Company  K.  Although  very  young, 
he  was  a  brave  and  daring  officer,  and  met  an  heroic  death. 
Second  Lieutenant  Robert  S.  Edwards  was  promoted  to 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  C.  He  was  a  brave  and  ex 
emplary  Christian  officer.  In  fact,  Company  E  was  always 
well  officered  by  good  and  brave  men,  who  at  all  times  com 
manded  the  respect  of  its  members,  and  the  company  ranked 
A  No.  I  in  drill  and  discipline. 
14 


210  FORTY-EIGHTH   REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

/ 

COMPANY   F. 

BY   JAMES   A.    BARRETT. 

Company  F  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service 
at  Camp  Wyman,  near  Fort  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  August  31, 
1861,  with  the  following  officers  : 

Captain — James  M.  Green  of  Brooklyn. 

First  Lieutenant — Samuel  K.  Wallace  of  New  York. 

Second  Lieutenant — Henry  W.  Robinson  of  Brooklyn. 

Captain  Green  was  born  and  educated  in  Troy,  N.  Y. 
When  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  as  private  in  the  Seventy- 
first  Regiment  of  New  York  for  three  months.  On  his  re 
turn  to  Brooklyn  he  at  once  commenced  to  recruit  a  company 
for  the  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V.,  mostly  from  New  York  and 
Brooklyn.  Lieutenant  Wallace  brought  a  few  men  from  the 
vicinity  of  Nyack  and  Katonah.  When  the  regiment  left  for 
Washington  Company  F  had  only  about  forty-five  men.  At 
Annapolis,  Md.,  the  companies  were  equalized  by  trans 
ferring  men  from  other  companies  that  had  more  than 
the  average.  Captain  Green  set  to  work  with  tireless  en 
ergy,  and  inspired  his  men  with  a  respect  and  love  that 
the  survivors  of  Company  F  retain  to  this  day.  He  was 
promoted  to  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  killed  in 
action  in  that  terrible  night-assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  S.  C., 
July  18,  1863,  where  the  gallant  Forty-eighth  lost  two  thirds 
of  its  men  and  seven-eighths  of  its  officers  in  killed  and 
wounded.  Captain  Green  was  a  brave  officer,  respected  by 
all  and  beloved  by  his  men.  His  memory  ever  lived  with 
his  old  company  as  a  benediction,  inspiring  them  to  cour 
age  and  loyal  service. 

[Mr.  E.  B.  Newman  of  Company  F,  who  is  now  postmas 
ter  at  Katonah,  N.  Y.,  writes  an  appreciative  note  concern 
ing  four  of  his  comrades — Peck,  Howard,  Perkins,  and  On- 
derkirk,  who  were  railroad  engineers — from  Schenectady. 
The  death  of  Onderkirk,  from  a  dreadful  wound  received  at 
Wagner,  and  his  Christian  resignation,  are  noted. — A.  J.  P.] 


SKETCHES   OF    7 'HE    COMPANIES.  211 


COMPANY  G. 

BY  JAMES  A.    BARRETT. 

Company  G  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  ser 
vice  at  Camp  Wyman,  near  Fort  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  Au 
gust  26,  1 86 1.  The  company  was  organized  by  Captain 
Anthony  Elmendorf  of  Brooklyn,  a  young  man  twenty  years 
of  age,  whose  proficiency  in  drill  acquired  in  the  Thirteenth 
Regiment  N.  Y.  M.  obtained  him  his  appointment  as  Cap 
tain  in  the  Forty-eighth,  and  to  him  was  assigned  the  duty 
for  a  time  of  drilling  the  officers  of  the  regiment  until  this 
duty  was  assumed  by  Colonel  Perry  himself. 

The  officers  of  Company  G  were : 

Captain — Anthony  Elmendorf  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

First  Lieutenant — Wm.  H.  Dunbar  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Second  Lieutenant — James  M.  Nichols  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

A  majority  of  the  men  were  recruited  from  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  and  a  number  from  towns  up  the  Hudson  River ; 
about  fifteen  came  from  New  Jersey,  and  the  same  number 
from  Connecticut.  In  June,  1863,  when  eight  companies  of 
the  regiment  were  sent  to  Morris  Island,  S.  C.,  Company  G 
was  left  behind  to  garrison  Fort  Pulaski,  Ga.,  and  Company 
I  on  Tybee  Island,  and  thus  escaped  the  terrible  slaughter 
of  Fort  Wagner,  which  accounts  for  its  comparatively  small 
casualty  list.  But  during  this  time  Company  G  was  not  idle, 
for  Captain  Elmendorf  drilled  his  company  to  a  high  degree 
of  perfection,  which  qualified  them  to  do  gallant  service  in  all 
the  remaining  engagements  in  which  the  regiment  par 
ticipated.  Second  Lieutenant  Nichols  was  promoted  to 
First  Lieutenant  and  Captain,  and  received  several  brevets 
for  gallantry  and  good  service.  On  Morris  Island  he  was 
detailed  to  command  a  battery ;  he  was  afterwards  pro 
moted  to  Captain  of  Company  E,  and  served  with  the  regi 
ment  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  three  years, — part 
of  the  time  in  command  of  the  regiment. 


212  FORTY-EIGHTH   REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S    VOLS. 


COMPANY  H. 

BY   JAMES    A.    BARRETT. 

During  the  summer  of  1861,  Colonel  Jas.  H.  Perry  went 
to  witness  the  drill  of  a  Home  Guard  Company  at  Montague 
Hall,  known  as  the  Brooklyn  Union  Rifles,  of  which  Dud 
ley  W.  Strickland,  a  young  lawyer  living  in  Brooklyn,  was 
the  captain  and  drill-master.  Colonel  Perry  was  so  much 
pleased  with  the  superior  drill  of  the  company  that  he 
offered  Strickland  a  captaincy  in  his  regiment,  then  about 
to  be  formed.  He  accepted  on  condition  that  he  could 
name  his  First  Lieutenant,  which  was  granted ;  and  he 
selected  William  L.  Lockwood,  also  a  young  lawyer  living 
in  Brooklyn  and  a  life  -  long  friend  of  Strickland.  They 
were  both  formerly  members  of  the  Young  American  Guards 
Infantry  and  Artillery  in  Cincinnati,  O.  They  both  went 
to  work  with  much  enthusiasm  to  recruit  and  organize  Com 
pany  H.  Captain  Strickland  was  soon  ordered  to  Camp  Wy- 
man,  near  Fort  Hamilton,  to  organize  camp  and  superintend 
drill,  etc.  Lieutenant  Lockwood,  from  several  places  on 
Long  Island  and  up  the  Hudson  River,  recruited  about 
thirty  men.  Second  Lieutenant  Caleb  N.  Patterson  brought 
as  many  more  from  the  vicinity  of  Keyport  and  Freehold, 
N.  J.  Only  one  member  of  the  Home  Guard  Company  en 
listed — First  Sergeant  Jas.  A.  Barrett,  who  went  into  camp 
and  assisted  in  drilling  and  recruiting  for  the  company  from 
the  many  visitors  who  came  to  the  camp.  Great  care  was 
taken  in  selection  of  recruits,  and  Company  H  soon  took 
high  rank  for  its  drill  and  soldierly  qualities,  and  was 
assigned  by  Colonel  Perry  the  position  of  right-flank  com 
pany.  Its  officers  were  temperate,  efficient,  and  devoted 
to  the  truest  interests  of  the  company. 

Every  man  in  the  company  knew  he  had  a  true  friend  in 
any  one  of  his  officers.  A  certain  company  pride  was  en- 


SKETCHES  OF    THE    COMPANIES.  213 

couraged  and  fostered,  and  the  records  of  the  regiment  will 
show  that  the  guard-house  scarcely  ever  contained  a  mem 
ber  of  Company  H. 

Company  H  was  mustered  into  service  August  16,  1861, 
with  ninety-eight  men.  It  always  maintained  a  high  repu 
tation  for  efficiency,  discipline,  and  drill. 

Captain  Strickland  became  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
and  commanded  the  regiment  when  Colonel  Barton  was 
assigned  to  command  of  the  brigade. 

Lieutenant  Lockwood  became  Captain  of  Company  F, 
but  subsequently  was  transferred  to  his  old  company.  He 
served  £s  Inspector-General  on  the  Brigade  Staff. 

Of  the  five  original  Sergeants,  Barrett,  Edwards,  Lacoppi- 
dan,  and  Stayley  were  promoted  officers. 

Sergeant  Sparks  carried  the  colors  and  was  wounded 
while  gallantly  planting  them  on  the  parapet  of  Fort 
Wagner,  and  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps. 

Corporals  Halstead,  Garaghan,  Laxey,  and  Private  Miller 
also  became  officers ;  and  Private  Stoney  was  appointed 
Quartermaster-Sergeant. 

In  December,  1863,  the  government  offered  a  furlough  of 
thirty  days  and  $400  bounty  to  all  1861  men  who  would 
re-enlist  as  veteran  volunteers.  The  State  of  New  York 
also  offered  $75  additional  bounty,  and  Kings  County  $300. 
Lieutenant  Barrett,  then  in  command  of  Company  H,  sub 
mitted  the  offer  and  announced  his  intention  to  remain  and 
see  the  war  through.  Fifty-four  men  promptly  accepted 
the  offer  and  re-enlisted  as  veteran  volunteers.  The  original 
members  of  the  company  had  been  thinned  out  from  time 
to  time  by  sickness,  disability,  wounds,  and  death,  so  that 
in.  the  fall  of  1864,  when  the  first  three  years'  enlistment  ex 
pired,  there  were  only  seven  men  left  who  had  not  re- 
enlisted  to  claim  their  discharge  by  expiration  of  service. 


214  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  Ar.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY  I. 

BY   J.    RENSHAW    AND    PETER   TWAMLEY. 

The  recruiting  office  for  Company  I  was  opened  in 
Orange  Street,  near  Fulton,  in  Brooklyn,  about  July  19, 
1861,  by  Captain  Joseph  G.  Ward,  who,  with  the  assistance 
of  Sergeant  J.  Renshaw  and  other  non-commissioned  offi 
cers,  went  into  camp  at  Camp  Wyman,  Fort  Hamilton, 
August  2,  1861.  The  company  was  mustered  into  the  ser 
vice  of  the  United  States,  August  i6th,  being  the  third  of 
the  regiment  to  be  sworn  in.  Joseph  G.  Ward  was  Cap 
tain  ;  Samuel  M.  Swartwout,  First  Lieutenant ;  and  James 
PL  Perry,  Jr.,  Second  Lieutenant. 

Company  I  was  with  the  regiment,  participating  in  all 
its  duties,  until  July  19,  1862,  when  it  was  detailed  on 
picket  duty  and  sent  to  Tybee  island  from  Fort  Pulaski. 
There  was  a  battery  consisting  of  five  guns  on  Tybee 
Island,  four  being  six-pounder  brass  field-pieces,  and  one 
rifled  thirty-two-pounder.  This  battery  commanded  the 
channel  at  the  entrance  to  the  Savannah  River.  It  had 
been  the  custom  to  relieve  each  company  on  picket 
at  Tybee  Island  every  ten  days  previous  to  this  time, 
but  while  Company  I  was  on  Tybee  Island  it  had  the 
great  good  -  fortune  to  fire  upon  (and  so  injure  that  it 
was  subsequently  captured)  the  English  steamer  Ladona, 
which  was  endeavoring  to  run  the  blockade.  General  Hun 
ter  sent  a  letter  of  thanks  to  Captain  A.  H.  Ferguson, 
and  thereafter  Company  I  was  permanently  stationed  on 
Tybee  Island.  It  was  absent,  therefore,  from  the  regiment 
during  that  dreadful  campaign  on  Morris  Island,  as  also 
was  Company  G ;  but  both  these  companies  rejoined  the 
regiment  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and  served  with  it  after 
ward  to  the  end.  Company  I  suffered  heavily  at  Olustee, 
and  did  its  full  part  in  the  labors  of  the  remaining  cam 
paigns  of  the  regiment.  Four  officers  of  the  company  were 


SKETCHES   OF    THE    COMPANIES. 

killed  in  battle  or  died  of  their  wounds:  Captain  John  A. 
Fee  at  Petersburg,  Lieutenant  James  M.  Keenan  at  Olustee, 
Major  Swartwout  at  the  explosion  of  the  mine  at  Peters- 
burg,  and  Lieutenant  Dunn,  then  Captain  of  Company  E, 
at  Fort  Fisher. 

The  letter  of  thanks  from  General  Hunter  referred  to 
was  as  follows: 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  SOUTH, 

HILTON  HEAD,  PORT  ROYAL,  S.  C.,  Aug.  5,  1862. 
Col.    Wm.  B.  Barton,  $>th.  N.    Y.    Vols.y  Commanding  Post,  Fort  Pulaski. 

COLONEL:  The  Major-General  commanding  desires  me  to  express 
through  you  to  Captain  Ferguson,  Forty-eighth  Regiment  New  York 
Vols.,  commanding  the  Martello  Tower,  Tybee  Island,  his  thanks  for 
the  vigilance,  promptness,  and  scientific  gunnery  which,  about  12  P.M. 
on  the  night  of  the  4th  instant,  enabled  him  to  arrest  and  drive  back 
the  steamer  Ladona  laden  with  stores,  contraband  of  war  destined  for 
the  use  of  the  Rebels  in  Savannah — this  steamer  having  succeeded  in 
eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  Blockading  Squadron,  and  being  under 
full  headway  to  Savannah  when  so  arrested  and  driven  out  to  sea 
again — after  which,  Captain  Ferguson  will  be  happy  to  hear,  she  was 
seen,  pursued,  and  captured  by  the  U.  S.  Gun-boat  Unadtlla,  and  is 
now  lying  a  prize  in  this  harbor. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Colonel, 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

CHARLES  G.  HALPIN, 
Maj.  Asst.  Adjt.  Gen  I  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Captain  Ward  in  January,  1862, 
Lieutenant  A.  H.  Ferguson  was  promoted  from  Company 
A  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Lieutenant  Perry  resigned  in  Sep 
tember  of  1862.  Lieutenant  John  A.  Fee  succeeded  Captain 
Ferguson,  and  upon  the  death  of  Captain  Fee,  Lieutenant 
Hutchinson  became  Captain  of  the  company. 


2l6  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY   K. 

BY    W.    J.    CARLTON.  ' 

This  Company  was  organized  and  largely  recruited  by 
Captain  Samuel  J.  Foster,  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Regi 
ment  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  and  Second  Lieutenant  Albert  F.  Miller 
of  Brooklyn.  First  Lieutenant  S.  G.  Gale  of  Galesville, 
Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  joined  the  company  with  about  forty 
recruits.  It  was  the  first  company  in  the  regiment  mus 
tered  into  the  United  States  service,  and  early  became 
proficient  in  drill  and  in  discipline.  Lieutenant  Gale  re 
signed  May  6,  1862,  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  Lieutenant 
Miller  was  promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Orderly  Sergeant 
Geo.  L.  Smith  was  made  Second  Lieutenant.  January 
26,  1863,  Captain  Foster  resigned  and  First  Lieutenant 
Hurst  of  Company  E  was  promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
Captain  Hurst  was  severely  wounded  in  the  assault  on 
Fort  Wagner;  and  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  was 
carried  to  Charleston,  where  he  died  in  a  few  days.  Lieu 
tenant  Miller  became  Captain,  and  remained  with  the 
company  until  severely  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.  He  was 
afterwards  promoted  to  the  Majority  of  the  regiment,  but 
was  unable  to  return  to  duty  on  account  of  his  wound.  He 
was  also  severely  wounded  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner. 

Company  K  ranked  among  the  best  of  the  companies, 
and  stands  fourth  in  number  of  casualties. 

The  following-named  enlisted  men  received  commissions: 

o 

Charles  B.  Umpleby,  Captain,  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 
Benj.  Seaward,  Adjutant,  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 
Tom  Dawson,  First  Lieutenant,  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 
Adolphus  Henkle,  First  Lieutenant,  Third  Maryland  Vols. 
George  L.  Smith,  Second  Lieutenant,  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 
Wm.  B.  Hunter,  Second  Lieutenant,  Forty-eighth  N.  Y.  V. 
Lewis  Holmes,  Second  Lieutenant,  Forty-eighth  N.Y.  V. 
Wm.  V.  King,  Second  Lieutenant,  Forty-eighth  N.Y.  V. 


SKETCHES   OF    THE    COMPANIES.  2 1/ 

THE   NON-COMMISSIONED    STAFF. 

BY    W.   J.    CARLTON. 

The  original  Non-commissioned  Staff  was  as  follows : 

Samuel  H.  Moser,  Sergeant-Major;  Van  Rensselaer  K. 
Hilliard,  Quartermaster-Sergeant ;  George  P.  Becker,  Com 
missary-Sergeant  ;  Nathaniel  D.  Fisher,  Hospital  Steward  ; 
and  Wm.  Smith  and  Edward  Hastings,  Principal  Musicians. 
JVIoser  and  Hilliard  became  commissioned  officers.  Fisher 
was  discharged  on  account  of  disability,  and  Becker  and 
Smith  were  killed  in  battle, — the  former  at  Fort  Wagner,  and 
the  latter  while  bearing  off  the  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor. 

Smith  was  quite  a  character.  He  had  seen  service  in  the 
regular  army,  and  his  experience  there  was  of  value  to  him 
in  teaching  the  drummers  and  enforcing  discipline  among 
them.  The  older  members  of  the  regiment  will  recall  Smith 
as  Drum-Major  on  dress -parade,  when,  at  the  head  of  the 
band,  in  gorgeous  uniform,  including  the  mighty  shako,  he 
twirled  his  baton  with  dignity  and  importance. 

Hastings  was  the  principal  Fifer.  He  also  had  been  in 
the  regular  army,  and  between  him  and  Smith  the  drum 
mers  and  filers  had  to  walk  according  to  "  regulations."  It 
was  at  reveille  and  tattoo  that  Hastings  was  in  his  glory. 
The  musical  notes  of  his  fife  will  never  be  forgotten. 

Sergeants  Smith  of  K,  Morton  of  E,  Fletcher  and  C.  B. 
Wyckoff  of  F,  and  St.  John  of  G  were  Sergeants-Major,, 
and  all  became  commissioned  officers. 

The  Quartermaster-Sergeants  who  received  commissions 
were  In  graham  of  G,  Taylor  of  F,  Williams  and  Barney 
of  A.  Hamilton  of  E  served  until  Sept.  20,  1864. 

Paddock  of  B  and  Orton  of  E  were  Commissary-Sergeants 
and  received  commissions. 

Newhart  of  K  and  Monel  of  E  were  Hospital  Stewards. 

Sneider,  Stoney,  Shannon,  Monel,  Hastings,  and  Ste- 
phenson  were  respectively  Sergeant-Major,  Quartermaster- 
Sergeant,  Commissary-Sergeant,  Hospital  Steward,  and 
Principal  Musicians  when  the  regiment  was  mustered  out. 


218  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   i\T.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 


CHAPTER  XL 
After  Twenty  Years.— April  21,  1881. 

V 

Presentation  of  the  Battle-flags  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  to  the 
Long  Island  Historical  Society — The  Reunion — Collation — The  Meet 
ing  in  the  Hall — Programme — Salutation  by  "  Private"  Palmer — Prayer 
by  Chaplain  Strickland — Sergeant  Sparks  and  Corporal  McKie  Bearing 
the  Old  Flags— Address  of  Captain  Knowles — Address  of  Rev.  Dr.  R.  S. 
Storrs — Greeting  General  Gillmore — The  Forty-eighth  New  York  Veteran 
Association. 

April  21,  1 88 1, — twenty  years  after  the  Forty-eighth 
Regiment  first  took  form  in  the  brain  and  heart  of  its 
organizers, — a  notable  meeting  of  its  survivors  was  held  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  The  most  historic  of  the  flags  which  the 
noble  regiment  had  borne  in  many  battles  were  on  that  night 
presented  to  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society  of  Brooklyn, 
and  intrusted  to  their  care  for  permanent  preservation.  The 
•circumstances  that  convened  the  survivors  of  the  regiment 
on  this  memorable  occasion  were  these  :  After  the  lament 
ed  death  of  Colonel  William  B.  Coan,  at  Lawrence,  Mass., 
•Captain  D.  C.  Knowles  (then  a  pastor  in  that  city)  received 
from  Colonel  Coan's  sister,  Mrs.  Simpson,  a  flag  which  was 
found  among  the  Colonel's  effects,  and  he  at  once  commu 
nicated  with  Captain  W.  J.  Carlton,  at  whose  suggestion  he 
had  recovered  the  flag,  who  called  a  meeting  of  a  few  of 
the  former  members  of  the  regiment,  the  result  of  which 
was  the  determination  to  deposit  the  flags  with  the  Long  Isl 
and  Historical  Society.  Circulars  were  sent  out  everywhere 
to  all  surviving  members  of  the  regiment  whose  addresses 
could  be  obtained,  and  ample  arrangements  made  for  a  re 
union  on  the  occasion.  The  veterans  of  twenty  years  before 
gladly  seized  the  opportunity  to  meet  their  old  comrades 
again,  and  they  came  together  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  2 19 

1 20  in  number,  and  spent  an  evening  which  will  be  long  re 
membered  in  recounting  the  deeds  of  the  past.  Many  came 
from  P"ceat  distances,  notably  Lieutenant  -  Colonel  D.  W. 

o  J 

Strickland,  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  An  ample  collation  was 
prepared,  after  which  the  comrades,  arm-in-arm,  marched  to 
the  new  and  handsome  hall  of  the  Long  Island  Historical  So 
ciety,  on  Clinton  and  Pierrepont  streets,  and  occupied  the 
front  seats  which  had  been  reserved  for  them.  The  remainder 
of  the  hall  was  crowded  with  a  brilliant  audience,  which  in 
cluded  many  of  the  first  citizens  of  Brooklyn.  The  following 
gentlemen  were  seated  on  the  platform :  The  Rev.  Richard 
S.  Storrs,  D.D.,  President  of  the  Society  ;  Major-General 
Quincy  A.  Gillmore,  formerly  commander  of  the  Tenth 
Corps  ;  the  Rev.  Daniel  C.  Knowles,  formerly  captain  of 
Company  D  ;  the  Rev.  W.  P.  Strickland,  D.D.,  formerly 
chaplain  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York  ;  the  Rev.  A.  J. 
Palmer,  formerly  private  of  Company  D,  and  orderly  to  the 
Colonel  ;  the  Rev.  Frederick  O.  Farley,  D.D.  ;  the  Rev.  A. 
P.  Putnam,  the  Rev.  J.  O.  Peck,  D.D.  ;  David  M.  Stone  ; 
A.  A.  Low,  City  Works  Commissioner  John  French,  ex- 
Mayor  Samuel  Booth,  ex-Judge  J.  Greenwood,  the  Hon. 
S.  P.  Chittenden,  Alden  J.  Spooner,  Henry  E.  Pierrepont, 
ex-Mayor  Hunter,  and  others.  A  fine  portrait  of  Colonel 
Perry  was  suspended  from  the  wall  at  the  back  of  the  plat 
form.  The  hall  was  suitably  decorated,  and  the  entrance  of 
the  survivors  of  the  famous  regiment  was  greeted  with  pro 
longed  cheers  and  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  The  exercises 
were  of  the  most  impressive  character,  and  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be  present. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs  presided. 

A  verb'atim  report  of  the  addresses  delivered  was  taken 
down  at  the  time  by  a  stenographer  and  is  appended,  with 
the  exception  of  a  brief  but  admirable  historical  sketch  which 
was  read  by  Major  B.  R.  Corwin,  and  which  is  not  deemed 
necessary  to  reproduce. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  programmes  which  were 
scattered  through  the  seats  : 


220  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

Reunion  of  the  Forty -eighth  Regiment  N.    Y.    S.    Vols.,  and  Presentation  of 
Battle-flags,  April  21,  iSSi. 

Grand  March  (entrance  of  the  regiment). 

Salutation.,  .by  Rev.  A.  J.  Palmer  (the  youngest  "private"  of  the  regiment) 

Singing— "  My  Country,  'tis   of  Thee,"  and  "Our  Father's  God,  to  Thee."" 

(Audience  requested  to  unite.) 

Prayer by  Rev.  W.  P.  Strickland,  D.D.,  Chaplain  of  the  regiment 

Song — "The  Two  Grenadiers" by  Mr.  Geo.  Werrenrath 

(Max  Liebling,  accompanist.) 

Brief  History  of  the  Regiment by  Major  B.  R.  Corwin 

Presentation  of  Battle-flags. . .  .by  Rev.  D.  C.  Knowles,  Captain  of  Co.  "  D" 

Response by  Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  D.D.,  President  of  L.  I.  H.  Society 

Song — ' '  Star-Spangled  Banner" by  Mr.  Geo.  Werrenrath 

(Audience  requested  to  join  in  the  chorus.) 

Closing  Prayer  and  Benediction by  Rev.  Frederick  A.  Farley,  D.  D. 

Doxology  (all  uniting). 


THE  EXERCISES. 

• 

THE  PRESIDENT — Ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  first  exer 
cise  of  the  evening  will  be  the  Salutation,  by  the  Rev.  A.  J. 
Palmer. 

Mr.  Palmer  came  forward  amid  loud  applause.  He  spoke 
as  follows  : 


SALUTATION  BY  REV.  A.  J.  PALMER. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society  ;  My  old  Com 
rades  ;  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

Twenty  years  ago  this  coming  summer  a  thousand  men 
stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  yonder  at  Fort  Hamilton,  and 
with  uplifted  hands  and  loyal  hearts  swore  to  defend  this 
Republic.  They  became  known  in  the  war  as  the  Forty- 
eighth  Regiment,  New  York  State  Volunteers.  They  were 
recruited  and  commanded  by  an  eminent  minister  of  this 
city,  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  H.  Perry  (loud  applause),  at  that  time 
the  pastor'of  the  Pacific  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Brooklyn.  Three  or  four  of  the  companies  came  from 
Brooklyn,  two  came  from  New  Jersey  ;  but  individuals  came 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  221 

from  everywhere,  drawn  hither,  I  suppose,  largely  by  the  de 
sire  to  serve  their  country  under  the  leadership  of  that  great 
and  blessed  man  of  God  who  was  our  first  commander,  and 
whose  memory  is  precious  to  us  to  this  very  hour.  It  is, 
therefore,  with  conspicuous  appropriateness  that  at  the  first 
reunion  of  this  regiment  another  clergyman,  still  more  emi 
nent,  in  this  city  of  Brooklyn  should  preside,  and  still  another 
clergyman,  who  was  a  captain  in  the  regiment  in  those  days, 
should  be  the  chief  orator.  I  am  sure,  boys,  we  ought  to 
have  been  a  deal  better  than  we  were — there  was  always  such 
an  ecclesiastical  air  about  us.  Of  those  thousand  men  it  was 
my  high  honor  to  have  been  one,  and  the  least  one, — as  the 
programmes  assert,  the  youngest  one, — a  little  fellow  away 
down  at  the  end  of  the  company  in  the  rear  rank,  out  of 
sight,  merely  a  private  soldier;  and  I  remained  a  private 
soldier  for  three  years  and  more,  and  was  never  promoted, 
because  I  presume  I  never  deserved  it.  (Laughter.)  We 
all  got  what  we  deserved  in  those  days,  you  know.  Those 
of  you  who  have  memories  will  recall  that  fact  ;  and  why  I, 
wrho  was  last  and  least  of  those  thousand  men,  should  have 
been  called  upon  to  break  this  long  silence  of  twenty  years 
and  speak  first  here  to-night,  I  do  not  know,  unless  it  be 
that  the  scripture  may  be  fulfilled  which  saith,  "  The  last 
shall  be  first."  At  any  rate,  here  I  am,  with  a  voice  such 
as  it  is  from  the  bottom  of  those  thousand  men  to  salute 
you,  my  comrades  ;  and  so  I  do,  heartily.  In  the  old  days 
the  gladiators  used  to  enter  the  arena,  and  crossing  to  the 
seat  of  the  emperor,  bow  themselves,  and  say,  "  O  Caesar  ! 
we  who  are  about  to  die  salute  you — morituri  salutamus" 
But  I  to-night  reverse  their  greeting,  and  say  to  these  my 
comrades — all  that  can  be  gathered  of  the  survivors  of  the 
thousand  men  :  "  You  who  have  lived  these  twenty  years, 
I  salute  you."  And  yet  you  will  pardon  me,  I  know,  and 
bear  me  out  if  I  say  to  this  audience  that  we  are  not  the 
worthiest  spirits  of  our  noble  regiment.  The  worthiest 
were  they  who  paid  the  full  price  and  died  for  their 
country.  And  to-night,  as  we  stand  here  and  think,  of 


222  FORTY-EIGHl^H  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

them,  they  seem  to  throng  about  us.  Memory  grown  vivid 
quickens  imagination,  and  in  our  fancy  they  are  all  here  to 
night — or,  rather,  we  are  there  with  them  again.  Once 
more  the  ranks  are  full.  Once  more  we  all  answer  to  our 
names  when  the  orderly  calls  the  roll.  Once  more  dear 
Colonel  Perry  calls,  "  Attention,  battalion  !"  and  we  all  fall  in 
line  again,  just  as  we  used  to  do  so  long  ago.  Again  we 
sleep  together  in  the  same  old  tents,  take  ship  together, 
march  shoulder  to  shoulder  as  we  did' of  yore  ;  deploy  and 
wheel,  and  charge  and  fire;  sit  together  around  the  camp- 
fires  singing  songs  and  telling  stories — lips  that  have  been 
silent  so  long.  Once  more  we  dig  intrenchments,  and  carry 
logs  for  corduroy  roads,  and  build  mud-forts  on  the  Savannah, 
and  garrison  Pulaski,  and  strut  upon  the  stage  of  mimic 
theatres,  and  skirmish  at  Port  Royal  Ferry  and  Bluffton 
and  Coosawhatchie  ;  and  at  last  together,  in  column  by  com 
pany,  at  close  order  on  the  double-quick,  in  the  dark  and  to 
the  death,  we  start  on  that  fatal  charge  upon  Fort  Wag 
ner.  Sheeted  about  with  fire,  shot  through  with  canister 
and  grape  and  shrapnel,  in  the  most  desperate  struggle  and 
on  the  deadliest  spot  of  the  war  ;  with  incapacity  behind  us, 
and  death  before  us  ;  amid  all  dangers,  but  without  dismay— 
this  brave  regiment  of  a  thousand  men,  upon  that  spot,  in 
that  single  immortal  hour,  perished  from  off  the  earth  and 
left  but  a  shadowy  remnant  behind  it  to  remind  the  world 
that  it  had  ever  been.  (Applause.)  History  has  declared  that 
they  were  defeated,  but  History  has  spoken  falsely.  They 
took  the  great  bastion  of  that  fort  and  held  it  for  four  mor 
tal  hours  ;  and  at  last,  at  midnight— a  little  group  of  them  still 
clinging  to  that  bank,  denied  reinforcement  and  forsaken,  but 
holding  tenaciously  to  what  they  had  won  at  such  cost,  with 
out  an  officer  to  command  them,  with  a  solid  mass  of  their 
comrades,  dead  and  dying,  heaped  about  them  three  and 
four  feet  deep,  amid  their  cries  of  pain  and  passion,  without 
ammunition,  without  orders,  without  hope,  without  every 
thing  but  courage — at  last  at  midnight  they  were  surrounded 
and  overpowered,  and  the  rebels  had  retaken  their  fort. 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  22$ 

The  next  morning,  when  they  were  inarched  through  Charles 
ton,  amid  the  jeers  of  the  populace,  and  counted  in  the  prison, 
it  was  found  that  twenty-eight  of  them  belonged  to  the  Forty- 
eighth  Regiment — private  soldiers  to  a  man.  (Applause.) 
Nine  months  later  six  of  them  escaped  from  prison  ;  but 
twenty-two  were  left  behind,  and  they  are  there  to-night  1 
They  died  of  hunger  and  cold  and  privation  on  Belle  Island 
and  at  Andersonville.  When  the  history  of  this  regiment  is 
fully  written,  it  will  be  unjust  if  it  only  chronicles  the  deeds 
of  colonels  and  captains  and  men  who  held  office  by  the  acci 
dent  of  rank  in  those  days,  and  if  it  gives  no  place  to  these 
nameless  private  soldiers  who  held  Fort  Wagner  for  four 
hours,  after  every  officer  was  shot  or  disheartened,  and  who 
died  in  foul  prisons  alone,  without  a  word  of  pity  or  a  breath 
of  prayer.  Pardon  me  for  thus  precipitately  speaking  of 
them,  but  I  have  thought  that  I  might  be  the  only  private 
soldier  who  should  have  voice  here  to-night,  or  the  only  one 
who  was  with  the  men  in  those  fiery  days ;  and  I  have  been 
jealous  lest  they  should  be  forgotten.  The  Forty-eighth 
Regiment  won  other  honors  (as  you  will  hear  directly 
when  its  history  comes  to  be  spoken)  at  Olustee,  Drewry's 
Bluff,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  and  Fort  Fisher,  and  in  the 
final  struggles  of  the  war.  (Applause.)  I  am  not  to  give  its 
history.  I  am  only  to  speaka  salutation  ;  and  so  I  do  :  from 
the  humblest  place  in  the  ranks  of  those  thousand  men,  I 
salute  these  my  comrades  who  are  here  to-night  in  mortal 
flesh.  And — will  you  pardon  the  fancy? — may  I  not  salute 
those  other  and  nobler  of  my  comrades  who  gave  their  lives 
for  the  Republic,  and  who,  I  love  to  think,  are  here  also  to 
night  in  immortal  spirit?  For  there  have  been  dreamers 
who  have  fancied  that  that  veil  which  interposes  between  this 
life  and  the  other,  and  which  is  so  impenetrable  and  opaque 
from*  this  side,  may  be  transparent  from  that  ;  and  if  that  is 
true,  may  not  our  old  companions  be  crowding  about  us  here 
to-night,  though  "  unperceived  amid  the  .throng"  ?  If  it  is  a 
fancy,  will  you  not  pardon  the  fancy,  and  permit  me  to  salute 
them  as  they  pass  us  in  the  viewless  air?  For  they  pass  by 


224  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

us  in  our  memory  like  a  procession — empty  sleeves  and  vacant 
-chairs,  but  robed  in  imperishable  glory  and  laurelled  with  fade 
less  renown — with  noiseless  tread  they  pass.  The  cemeteries 
are  their  camping-ground,  the  white  stones  are  their  tents. 
Their  camp-fires  that  went  out  in  ashes  are  rekindled  in  the 
grateful  hearts  of  their  countrymen,  and  the  roll  of  their 
victories  is  writ  upon  the  skies. 

"On  Fame's  eternal  camping-ground 

Their  silent  tents  are  spread  ; 
And  glory  guards  with  solemn  mound 
The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

But  to  us  to-night  they  live.  They  are  with  us,  and  they 
throng  above  us  in  the  air.  Brave  old  Colonel  Perry,  about 
whose  person  we  gathered  twenty  years  ago,  if  in  immortal 
•spirit  you  are  here  with  us  to-night,  I,  the  little  boy  that  was 
your  orderly,  salute  you  in  the  air.  (Applause.)  Captain 
Lent,  who  died,  the  first  man,  on  Morris  Island  ;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Green,  who  died  right  at  my  very  side  on  that  bank 
at  Fort  Wagner;  Swartwout,  shot  at  Petersburg;  McDou- 
gall,  Tantum,  Richman,  Duffle,  Depuy,  Carman,  Dandy, — 
names  heroic  of  forms  that  were  lost  in  the  smoke  of  battle 
long  ago, — of  men  who  loved  not  their  own  lives  when  the 
life  of  their  country  was  in  peril,  but  who  died  cheerfully, 
unhesitatingly,  sublimely,  to  defend  these  flags  which  are  to 
be  presented  here  to-night — I  salute  you  all,  my  old  com 
rades,  in  the  air.  For  you  know  we  have  liberty  as  we  have 
salvation — only  by  the  blood  of  saviors  ;  and  these  humble 
names  which  I  have  spoken  are  the  names  of  real  redeemers, 
by  whose  self-sacrifice  this  nation  to-night  is  free.  (Applause.) 
I  wonder  how  many  of  you  remember  John  Wilgus?  He 
was  a  private  in  Company  D.  He  was  taken  prisoner  that 
night  in  the  rifle-pits  before  Fort  Wagner,  and  was  with  us 
in  the  prisons  at  Charleston,  Columbia,  in  Libby,  and  Belle 
Island ;  and  at  last  he  came  to  die  to  the  prison-hospital  in 
Richmond,  where  I  was  convalescing.  I  remember  how, 
day  after  day,  I  used  to  visit  his  bed,  and  how  he  sank  day 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  22$ 

by  day — starved,  frozen,  exhausted,  trying  hard  to  hold  on 
to  life ;  deprived  of  life's  necessities,  fire  and  fuel,  and  food 
and  clothing  and  shelter ;  but  at  last,  at  the  end  of  a  hard 
winter,  died — only  one  of  thousands,  victims  of  a  cruelty 
unequalled  in  the  records  of  civilized  warfare.  Shot  if  in 
the  delirium  of  fever  they  passed  an  imaginary  line  ;  pur 
sued  pitilessly  and  mercilessly  by  hate  and  scorn,  and 
dying  at  last  of  slow  starvation  in  the  prisons — Oh  John 
Wilgus,  and  other  of  my  old  companions  that  died  there 
on  Belle  Island  and  at  Andersonville,  if  you  are  with  us  here 
to-night,  I  salute  you,  also,  in  the  air. 

I  belonged  to  a  company  that  had  a  strange  nickname. 
Everybody  called  us  in  those  days  the  "  Die-no-mores/' 
(Great  applause.)  You  remember  the  "  Die  -no -mores." 
You  will  pardon  me  for  saying  a  word  about  them.  You 
see  we  had  been,  some  of  us,  students  in  a  seminary  when 
the  war  broke  <5ut,  and  we  had  enlisted  under  our  teacher 
(your  orator  here  to-night) ;  and  as  we  were  the  sons  of 
Christian  people  we  used  to  sing  the  Christian  songs  we  had 
been  taught  at  home,  and  one  of  them  had  this  refrain : 

"  We're  going  home, 
We're  going  home, 
We're  going  home, 
To  die  no  more  !" 

And  so  in  fun  at  our  hymn-singing  everybody  called  us 
the  "  Die-no-mores."  Sometimes  a  name  that  has  been  given 
a  man,  or  a  group  of  men,  or  a  cause,  in  sport  or  in  deri 
sion,  has  become  immortal ;  and  this  name  was  one  of  them. 
For,  that  night  of  greatest  glory  in  the  history  of  this  regi 
ment,  Captain  Paxson  of  Company  D  (applause)  was  shot 
on  that  bank  at  Fort  Wagner,  and  lay  there  bleeding  to 
death  in  that  gorge  of  dead  men  that  were  heaped  about 
him  four  feet  deep.  Amid  cries  of  pain  and  hate,  in  that 
last  frenzy  of  a  desperate  hour,  with  the  sound  of  musketry 
in  the  air  and  cannon  belching  forth  their  fiery  death  from 
Fort  Sumter  above  us  and  the  casemates  about  us,  when 
the  living  cheered  and  the  dying  moaned,  when  some  cursed 
15 


226  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.  VOLS. 

and  some  prayed,  amid  cries  for  help  and  cries  for  pity,  but 
not  a  cry  for  quarter — there  was  one  cry  that  rang  clear  over 
all.  It  was  the  call  of  Captain  Paxson  to  his  men ;  and  it 
grew  fainter  and  fainter  as  the  moments  passed,  and  he  grew 
weak  from  the  loss  of  blood.  It  was  in  these  words  :  "  Die- 
no-mores,  follow  me !  follow  me,  Die-no-mores !  "  And 
they  did  follow  him,  brave  fellows,  to  where,  if  the  noblest 
spirits  are  immortal,  they  "  die  no  more."  And  to-night  I 
salute  you,  my  brave  old  captain,  my  brave  old  comrades,  in 
the  air.  There  is  one  other  name  before  the  memory  of 
which  I  will  bow,  and  then  I  will  take  my  seat.  There  was 
one  flag  in  our  regiment  that  is  not  here  to-night.  You  re 
member  that.  It  was  lost  in  battle.  Do  you  remember  the 
man  who  bore  it  and  was  lost  with  it  ?  His  name  was  William 
H.  Porch.  He  was  color-sergeant  from  Fort  Wagner  to 
Cold  Harbor.  Now,  do  you  recall  that  charge  at  Cold  Har 
bor?  Everybody  knew  it  was  useless.  The  great  soldier 
who  commanded  it  has  since  acknowledged  it  was  a  mistake. 
But  then  and  there— 

"  Was  there  a  man  dismayed  ? 
Not  though  the  soldier  knew 
Some  one  had  blundered. 
Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 
Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 
Theirs  but  to  do  and  die." 

And  so  they  did.  You  remember  now  how  the  flag  was 
in  advance  that  day,  and  how,  as  that  bank  was  reached, 
Tantum  shouted  to  Porch  to  "  mount  it;"  and  Porch, 
white  to  his  lips,  but  faithful  to  the  core  of  his  heart — Porch, 
who  bore  the  flag,  without  hesitancy  and  without  a  word 
leaped  up  the  bank  alone,  and  was  shot  down  by  a  score  of 
bullets,  and  throwing  his  arms  around  his  flag,  fell  with  it 
among  his  foes.  Seventeen  years  have  passed  since  then  ; 
but  standing  here  to-night  I  seem  to  see  him  again,  the  first 
and  last  and  only  man  that  dared  to  mount  that  bank,  and 
the  free  wind  blows  that  free  flag  around  him  for  a  shroud 
as  they  fall  together  on  the  bayonets  that  pierced  them 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  22J 

both, — standard  and  standard-bearer,  Freedom's  emblem 
and  her  hero, — the  starry  flag  and  Color-Sergeant  "  Billy" 
Porch.  (Applause.)  To-night,  dear  old  fellow,  I  salute 
you  also  in  the  air.  (Applause.)  Now  I  will  venture  to 
take  my  seat,  having  done,  the  best  I  could,  my  part  on  this 
occasion.  I  have  spoken  a  few  names,  mostly  private  sol 
diers  who  were  dear  to  me,  lest  they  from  being  so  humble 
might  be  forgot. 

I  welcome  you  all  to  this  reunion,  and  I  pray  you  to  make 
of  it  not  only  a  helper  to  memory,  but  also  an  inspiration  to 
patriotism  ;  for  this  Republic  has  need  of  heroes  in  the  future 
as  she  has  had  heroes  in  the  past,  and  I  pray  you  to  hold  up 
your  hands,  my  comrades,  in  a  new  oath  to  be  forever  loyal 
to  their  memory  and  forever  faithful  to  their  cause. 

"  From  the  lily  of  love  that  incloses 

In  the  glow  of  a  festival  kiss, 
On  the  wind  that  is  heavy  with  roses, 

And  shrill  with  the  bugles  of  bliss ; 
Let  it  float  o'er  the  mystical  ocean, 

That  breaks  on  the  kingdom  of  night — 
Our  oath  of  eternal  devotion 

To  the  heroes  who  died  for  the  right. 

"  Ah  !  grander  in  doom-stricken  glory 

Than  the  greatest  that  linger  behind, 
They  shall  live  in  perpetual  story, 

Who  saved  thft  last  hope  of  mankind. 
For  their  cause  was  the  cause  of  the  races 

That  languished  in  slavery's  night, 
And  the  death  that  was  pale  as  their  faces 

Has  filled  the  whole  world  with  its  light. 

"  To  the  clouds  and  the  mountains  we  breathe  it, 

To  the  freedom  of  planet  and  star  ; 
Let  the  tempests  of  ocean  inwreathe  it, 

Let  the  winds  of  the  night  bear  it  far — 
Our  oath,  that,  till  manhood  shall  perish, 

And  honor  and  virtue  are  sped, 
We  are  true  to  the  cause  that  they  cherish, 

And  eternally  true  to  the  dead  !" 

Comrades,  good-night !     (Loud  applause.) 


228  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS, 

THE  PRESIDENT — The  next  exercise  will  be  the  singing 
of  two  stanzas  of  the  hymn, 

"  My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty," 

in  which  we  shall  be  led  by  Mr.  Henry  Camp. 

The  audience  rose,  and  with  great  spirit  united  in  singing. 

THE  PRESIDENT — Prayer  will  now  be  offered  by  Rev.  W. 
P.  Strickland,  D.D.,  chaplain  of  the  regiment. 

PRAYER  BY  REV.  W.  P.  STRICKLAND,  D.D. 

O  Thou  eternal  Father,  the  God  of  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  our  God  !  though  Abraham  be  ig 
norant  of  us  and  Israel  acknowledge  us  not,  yet  Thou  art 
our  Father  and  our  fathers'  God.  We  thank  Thee  for  Thy 
good  Providence  over  us,  for  the  merciful  manifestations  to 
us  of/Thy  grace  and  goodness.  O  Thou  who  dost  rule  in 
the  armies  of  heaven  and  command  among  the  inhabitants 
of  earth !  we  thank  Thee  to-night  that  Thou  hast  been  our 
God  in  the  midst  of  war  and  strife,  when  our  enemies  would 
have  rent  from  us  our  liberties  and  despoiled  us  of  all  the 
precious  blessings  Thou  hast  vouchsafed  to  us.  We  thank 
Thee,  O  God,  that  Thou  hast  been  with  this  nation  from 
the  beginning;  and  through  all  the  conflicts  through  which 
it  has  passed  Thou  hast  been  the  God  of  our  battles  and 
guided  us  to  victory.  Thou  didst  enable  us,  O  Lord,  who 
are  here  to-night,  a  remnant  of  a  host  that  went  forth  to 
defend  our  liberties — Thou  didst,  O  God,  teach  our  hands 
to  war  and  our  fingers  to  fight,  and  cover  our  heads  in  the 
day  of  battle;  and  though  many  have  been  left  on  the  field 
of  the  slain,  we  thank  Thee  that  there  is  a  remnant  left  to 
remember  Thy  goodness  and  mercy.  We  beseech  Thee,  O 
God,  that  Thy  blessings  may  continue  with  us  as  a  nation. 
Look  upon  us  in  mercy.  Bless,  we  pray  Thee,  our  country, 
all  who  are  in  places  of  trust  and  power ;  and  grant,  O  God, 
that  our  liberties  may  be  preserved,  that  no  external  or 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS. 

internal  foe  may  rise  against  us,  and  that  the  time  may 
come  when  war  shall  cease  to  the  end  of  the  world  ;  when 
swords  shall  be  beaten  into  ploughshares,  and  spears  into 
pruning-hooks,  and  nation  shall  no  longer  lift  up  sword 
against  nation,  and  they  shall  learn  war  no  more.  Gracious 
Father,  we  pray  for  Thy  blessing  upon  all  who  are  connected 
with  us  in  the  regiment — a  remnant  of  which  has  been  left 
— who  are  not  permitted  to  be  with  us  here  to-night.  May 
Thy  blessing  attend  them  !  Guide  us  all  by  Thy  Spirit ; 
direct  us  in  all  our  ways ;  take  all  our  interests  into  Thy 
hand  ;  and  finally,  through  riches  of  grace,  bring  us  to  Thy 
kingdom,  for  the  Redeemer's  sake.  Amen. 

THE  PRESIDENT  —  A  song  will  now  be  sung,  entitled 
"  The  Two  Grenadiers." 

Mr.  Geo.  Werrenrath  sang  the  song  with  fine  effect. 

THE  PRESIDENT — The  flags  to  which  reference  has  been 
made  will  now  be  presented  to  the  Society  by  the  Rev.  D. 
C.  Knowles,  Captain  of  Company  D. 

Sergeant  Sparks,  who  carried  the  flag  into  Fort  Wagner, 
and  Corporal  McKie,  of  the  Color  Guard,  wounded  at  Cold 
Harbor,  appeared  on  the  platform  with  the  tattered  rem 
nants  of  the  flags.  The  veterans  arose  and  gave  three 
enthusiastic  cheers  for  "the  old  flags."  Professor  Max 
Liebling  furnished  appropriate  piano  music. 

The  Rev.  D.  C.  Knowles  faced  the  President,  both  stand 
ing,  and  addressed  him  as  follows: 

CAPTAIN  KNOWLES'  PRESENTATION  ADDRESS. 

Dr.  Storrs,  in  the  name  of  my  comrades  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  Regiment  I  come  to  present  to  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society,  through  you,  its  honored  President,  these 
sacred  relics  of  our  civil  war. 

If  you  have  never  been  a  soldier,  sir,  and  followed  the 
fortunes  of  your  country's  flag  on  the  bloody  field,  it  will  be 
difficult  for  you  to  understand  fully  the  feelings  that  rise  in 
our  hearts  to-night  as  we  look  again  on  these  tattered  ban- 


230  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.   S.  VOLS. 

ners.  To  us,  who  have  seen  them  waving  in  line  of  battle, 
they  have  a  value  that  cannot  be  expressed  in  words. 

It  is  not  a  difficult  task  for  a  man  of  trade  to  tell  their 
value  in  this  world's  currency.  It  is  a  simple  problem.  So 
many  square  yards  of  silk,  so  much  skilled  labor  in  em 
broidery,  and  the  problem  of  production  is  solved. 

But,  sir,  we  ignore  in  our  estimate  all  this  elementary 
calculation.  We  judge  by  other  standards.  Our  data  for 
valuation  come  from  the  imperishable  sentiments  of  the 
heart.  These  old,  faded  flags  represent  to  us  everything 
that  is  worth  prizing  in  this  life.  When  face  to  face  with 
the  armies  of  the  rebellion,  they  proudly  flung  out  their  folds 
over  our  heads  as  symbols  of  law,  constitution,  order,  equity, 
property,  honor,  civilization,  even  life  itself. 

It  is  but  an  impulse  of  worldly  wisdom  that  leads  all  civi 
lized  governments  to  seek  by  every  possible  expedient  to 
attach  its  soldiers  to  their  respective  standards.  To  this 
end  army  regulations  require  that  they  be  brought  forth 
with  almost  religious  ceremonies,  and  presented  to  the  keep 
ing  of  the  troops.  At  dress-parade  an  imposing  escort  pro 
ceeds  to  the  Colonel's  tent,  and  with  various  salutations 
receives  the  colors  at  his  hands,  and  then  gayly  marches 
away,  with  martial  music,  to  present  them  to  the  regiment, 
to  be  preserved  at  the  cost  of  life  itself.  Thus  every  senti 
ment  of  pride  and  honor  is  appealed  to  by  the  imposing 
ritual  of  parade  to  kindle  in  the  soldier's  breast  respect  and 
love  for  these  symbols  of  his  country's  glory.  And  my 
comrades  will  attest  the  truth  of  the  assertion,  that  a  strange 
enthusiasm  is  thus  created  in  the  midst  of  the  varied  duties 
of  the  camp,  that  settles  at  last  into  a  permanent  veneration 
for  the  flags  we  carry — a  veneration  that  lifts  the  soul  to  the 
highest  possibilities  of  self-sacrifice  for  their  preservation. 

Sir,  we  have  felt  all  this — we  feel  it  now.  These  senti 
ments  of  profound  regard  for  these  symbols  of  the  cause 
for  which  we  fought  are  as  fresh  and  full  in  our  hearts  to 
night  as  when  we  stood  marshalled  for  the  battle  of  consti 
tutional  liberty  and  unity  under  their  flaunting  folds. 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  23! 

May  I  not  be  indulged,  sir,  for  a  few  moments  in  some 
sacred  reminiscences?  It  was  one  of  the  darkest  hours  of 
our  country's  history  when  these  men  who  stand  around  me 
met  for  the  first  time  at  Camp  Wyman,  a  few  miles  away 
from  this  hall.  Most  of  us  were  strangers  to  each  other,  but 
we  came  together  in  the  friendly  band  of  a  common  cause. 

You  doubtless  remember,  when  the  first  call  was  made  for 
volunteers,  how  jubilantly  our  young  soldiers  started  for  the 
field.  It  seemed  to  the  North  like  a  vast  military  picnic  at 
the  Government's  expense.  Very  few  saw  with  prophetic 
eye  the  fierceness  of  the  storm  that  was  gathering  in  the 
political  heavens.  Even  great  statesmen  told  us  it  would 
dissipate  the  rebellion  if  we  sent  a  few  thousands  of  our 
soldiers  South,  and  waved  the  stars  and  stripes  valiantly  in 
the  face  of  the  foe.  But,  sir,  you  remember  also  how  delu 
sive  were  such  dreams.  Our  panic-stricken  army,  broken 
and  dispirited  at  Bull  Run,  poured  into  Washington  a  dis 
organized  mob,  dispelled  these  false  theories  of  the  war,  and 
awoke  the  nation  to  the  real  bitterness  of  the  coming  con 
test.  -The  North  then  began  to  measure  the  magnitude  of 
the  task  it  had  undertaken.  For  the  first  time  we  perceived 
that  nothing  short  of  stern  and  stubborn  war,  bloody  and 
terrible,  could  save  the  Republic  from  dismemberment.  The 
idle  dream  of  speedy  peace  gave  way  to  deep  dejection  in 
many,  and  a  great  gloom  fell  like  midnight  darkness  on 
the  North.  Enlistments  were  checked  for  a  time,  and  men 
held  back  shuddering  at  the  fearful  sacrifices  of  blood  and 
treasure  that  loomed  up  before  them  as  the  price  of  unity. 

In  that  hour,  sir,  we  volunteered  :  not  through  the  im 
pulse  of  youthful  excitement — the  times  had  disenchanted 
war  of  its  holiday  attire  ;  not  for  high  bounties — the  days 
had  not  yet  come  when  patriotism  could  only  be  induced  to 
volunteer  for  gold  ;  not  for  idle  love  of  adventure,  or  pirati 
cal  hope  of  plunder — but  from  an  intelligent  love  of  coun 
try,  and  a  settled  purpose  to  lay  life  and  all  on  its  altar  for 
constitutional  unity.  We  came  when  it  looked  like  a  hope 
less  task,  and  freely  gave  ourselves  to  all  the  bloody  possi- 


232  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    Y.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

bilities  of  war  to  secure  for  ourselves  and  posterity  the 
union  of  these  States.  Was  it  a  foolish  venture,  a  price 
not  worth  the  sacrifices  ?  No,  never  ;  for  we  saw  just  before 
us  the  terrible  chasm  of  disunion.  We  saw  the  disastrous 
consequences  of  such  a  fate.  We  saw  more  clearly  than  the 
outlines  of  any  fancy  picture  the  pernicious  certainties  of 
such  a  calamity.  We  saw  rivers  that  God  had  made  to  run 
from  our  northern  boundaries  to  our  southern  gulf — those 
natural  highways  of  commerce  and  brotherhood — crossed  by 
an  imaginary  line,  that  must  prove  a  barrier  through  all  ages 
to  the  free  interchange  of  trade  and  travel,  subjecting  the 
coming  millions  to  the  exactions  of  rival  governments,  and 
the  annoyance  of  passport  and  servile  espionage.  We  saw 
these  great  mountain-ranges,  that  bind  the  North  and  South 
together  with  their  cables  of  solid  stone,  cut  in  twain  by 
that  same  invisible  boundary,  and  from  every  lofty  eleva 
tion  frowning  batteries  facing  each  other  with  a  perpetual 
challenge  to  the  fight  ;  we  saw  paternal  estates  divided 
asunder  by  landmarks  that  were  only  symbols  of  hate  and 
strife,  while  from  Atlantic  slope  to  Pacific  shore  we  saw  the 
bivouac  fires  of  armed  hosts,  casting  their  lurid  colorings  on 
burnished  bayonets  that  were  ever  ready  to  be  wet  in  the 
blood  of  brothers.  We  saw  all  this,  and  more  too.  For 
we  saw,  as  the  natural  and  inevitable  outcome  of  all  this, 
posterity  crushed  under  the  grinding  budgets  of  taxation  to 
keep  these  standing  armies  in  the  field,  and  the  laboring 
classes  of  America  rivalling  in  poverty  and  degradation  the 
war-cursed  peasantry  of  Europe  ;  and,  as  a  final  consequence, 
the  man  on  horseback  coming  to  rivet  the  chains  of  des 
potic  rule  on  the  limbs  of  freemen,  and  the  sunset  hour  of 
constitutional  liberty  giving  place  once  more  to  the  hopeless 
dark  of  absolutism  and  despair :  and  all  this  to  gratify  the 
insensate  greed  and  godless  ambitions  of  a  little  combination 
of  slave-drivers  !  We  saw  it  all,  sir,  at  a  glance,  as  clearly 
as  the  immortal  Webster  saw  it  when  he  drew  back  from 
this  vision  of  disunion,  shuddering  in  every  fibre  of  his  loyal 
heart. 


4  AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  233 

It  was  to  shield  our  nation  from  this  fate,  sir,  that  we 
came  together  in  those  gloomy  hours,  some  twenty  years 
ago.  Some  of  us  came  from  the  plough,  some  from  the 
counting-room,  some  from  our  schools  of  learning,  and  others 
even  from  the  sacred  desk.  We  met  around  one  manly 
form,  whose  commanding  presence  inspired  respect  and  con 
fidence,  and  whose  imperial  figure  on  horseback  was  an  in 
spiration  then,  as  it  is  a  sacred  memory  to-night%  No  regi 
ment  could  boast  a  better  leader  than  ours.  Under  his 
earnest  tuition  we  gained  a  drill  and  discipline  that  served 
us  well  in  the  supreme  hour  of  trial  in  the  field. 

It  would  have  been  very  pleasing  to  us  to  have  had  here 
to-night  all  our  banners  ;  but  events  forbid. 

One  National  flag  is  in  the  keeping  of  the  State  at  Al 
bany,  and  one  is  not.  You  have  already  had  an  allusion  to 
its  history.  It  \vas  the  flag  under  whose  starry  folds  we 
marched  southward.  At  Cold  Harbor  it  was  lost  to  us- 
forever — not  through  cowardice,  but  sheer  bravery.  Its 
color-bearer,  who  had  drawn  patriotic  inspirations  from 
the  philippics  of  Cicero  under  my  personal  tuition,  and  who 
was  the  first  man  to  enlist  in  my  company,  was  shot  dead 
with  the  flag  in  his  hand.  Another  seized  the  fallen  stand 
ard,  and  was  shot  down ;  and  another  took  it  up  only  to 
perish  under  its  crimson  stripes.  Then  a  fourth  man  lifted  its 
proud  challenge  to  the  foe,  and  planted  it  on  the  parapet  in 
the  very  midst  of  the  rebel  host,  when  he  too  died,  pierced 
with  bullets,  and  flag  and  flagmen  fell  together  into  the 
very  arms  of  the  enemy.  It  was  never  recovered.  But,  sir,. 
I  am  proud  to  say,  on  account  of  the  heroic  efforts  of  the 
regiment  that  day,  a  special  order  was  passed  immediately 
replacing  the  lost  banner.  This  flag,  whose  substance  is  al 
most  all  gone,  is  the  one  presented  to  us  by  the  Hanson 
Place  Church.  Its  appearance  tells  its  history  better  than 
any  words  of  mine.  You  have  heard  from  our  historian 
the  heroism  of  its  bearer  on  that  eventful  night  at  Wagner, 
where  so  many  of  our  comrades  fell. 

Permit  me  to  speak  now  of  this  larger  banner.     One  day 


234  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

at  Hilton  Head,  while  we  were  sturdily  preparing  for  the 
conflict,  there  was  brought  into  our  camp  this  splendid  flag. 
It  was  brilliant  then  in  its  new  rich  blue  and  lustrous  erold. 

o 

We  were  drawn  up  in  a  hollow  square  one  beautiful  Sab 
bath-day  to  receive  it.  We  were  told  it  was  the  gift  of  our 
Brooklyn  friends.  It  was  then  thrown  to  the  breeze,  and  on 
its  broad  ground  of  silken  blue  we  saw  the  resplendent  coat 
of  arms  of  the  Empire  State.  Our  Colonel  called  for 
"  Home,  Sweet  Home"  from  the  band ;  and  with  the  mem 
ories  of  the  dear  ones  far  away,  and  the  unbidden  tears  steal 
ing  to  our  eyes  as  we  thought  of  our  Northern  homes,  we 
lifted  our  swords,  presented  our  arms,  and  vowed  that  flag 
should  never  be  dishonored. 

We  were  young  and  strong  then.  Our  blood  was  warm 
with  the  impulses  of  hopeful  life.  We  are  aware  that  time 
has  left  its  impress  on  us  ;  for,  strange  to  say,  we  find  our 
selves  quietly  taking  on  the  colors  of  our  enemies  :  we  are 
beginning  to  wear  the  gray.  One  and  all  of  us  are  insensi 
bly  growing  white  with  the  hoar-frosts  of  accumulating  years. 
But,  sir,  we  stand  here  to-night  and  salute  this  dear  old 
faded  flag  with  the  same  heroic  ardor  we  felt  when  for  the 
first  time  we  saw  it  given  to  the  winds.  We  salute  it  now, 
tattered  and  torn  with  the  storms  of  heaven,  and  rent  and 
ragged  with  the  flying  missiles  of  the  fiercer  storms  of 
battle. 

But,  sir,  I  am  proud  to  say  our  early  vows  were  never 
broken  :  it  has  never  been  dishonored.  In  Georgia's  marsh 
es,  in  Florida's  tangled  jungles,  on  the  blazing  parapet  of 
Wagner,  in  the  deadly  charge  on  the  enemy's  lines  at  Cold 
Harbor,  in  the  trenches  that  compassed  Petersburg,  in  a 
score  of  bloody  battles,  it  lifted  up  its  challenge  to  every  foe 
to  our  nation's  unity.  Inspired  by  its  proud  defiance  in  the 
face  of  rebel  hosts,  many  a  wounded  soldier  has  found  a  so 
lace  for  his  sufferings,  and  under  its  witnessing  folds  many  a 
hero  has  laid  down  to  die  and  many  a  manly  heart  ceased  to 
beat  forever. 

Passing   over  its  history  during  the  active  service  of  the 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  2$$ 

regiment,  permit  me  briefly  to  state  a  few  facts  concerning 
its  recent  discovery. 

By  some  strange  freak  of  fortune,  this  flag  was  left,  when 
the  regiment  was  disbanded  in  1865,  in  the  possession  of  its 
commanding  officer,  Colonel  Coan.  It  was  taken  by  him  to 
Lawrence,  Mass.  Six  years  ago  he  died. 

In  the  order  of  providence  my  ministry  had  fallen  in  that 
city.  A  few  months  since  I  was  requested  by  Captain  Carl- 
ton  to  make  inquiries  for  the  lost  banner, 

In  my  search  for  the  relatives  of  Colonel  Coan  I  was  in 
formed  that  the  mayor  of  the  city  was  a  brother-in-law,  and 
hastening  to  his  residence  I  was  told  the  old  flag  had  there 
been  safely  housed  through  all  these  intervening  years.  The 
Colonel's  sister  led  me  to  the  room  where  she  had  so  sacred 
ly  preserved  it  ;  and  with  hands  trembling  for  very  joy,  I 
took  the  standard  up,  unrolled  the  outer  covering  that  en 
cased  it,  and  flung  out  its  faded  fringes  once  again,  while  the 
hot  tears  started  in  my  eyes  over  memories  that  came  up  as 
fresh  as  the  events  of  yesterday. 

Sir,  those  were  not  unmanly  tears.  Some  of  us  have  suf 
fered  too  much  from  half-healed  wounds  and  merciless  dis 
eases  through  these  twenty  years  to  blush  with  shame  at 
tears  that  start  out  of  memory's  treasures  at  the  sight  of 
these  dear  old  flags. 

Why,  sir,  these  flags  are  the  proofs  of  our  loyalty.  They 
are  the  demonstrations  of  proud  patriotism.  Our  hearts 
cling  to  them  as  such.  We  are  as  loyal  to  these  symbols  to 
night  as  in  '61.  Do  you  doubt  it,  sir?  Would  you  put  us 
to  the  proof  ? 

We  are  here  to-night  to  tell  you  frankly,  that  after  all  we 
know  of  war,  its  horrors  and  its  loathsome  beastliness,  after 
all  the  imperishable  hatred  we  feel  toward  it,  the  product  of 
bitter  personal  experience,  yet  if  a  rebel  host  should  rise  in 
the  South  and  march  on  Washington,  we  would  rally  once 
again  around  these  tattered  banners  and  go  to  the  front  as 
we  did  twenty  years  ago. 

No,  sir,  I  am  not  ashamed  to  tell  you  the  hot  tears  came 


236  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

as  a  tribute  to  this  symbol  of  law  and  liberty  when  I  clasped; 
this  banner  in  my  arms  and  took  it  home. 

There  in  my  hall  it  stood  for  weeks,  while  scores  of  our 
patriotic  citizens  cam.e  in  to  look  upon  it  and  hear  me  re 
hearse  the  story  of  those  dreadful  days.  Then  I  sent  it  to 
your  city;  and  here  it  is  to-night,  to  be  deposited  with  this 
other  flag  for  safe  keeping  with  your  Society. 

Sir,  we  all  belong  to  the  color-guard  to-night.  We  are 
but  a  remnant  of  that  long  line  that  filed  down  by  Fort 
Hamilton  that  midnight  hour  twenty  years  ago  to  take  the 
steamer  for  the  South  and  destiny.  Many  of  those  noble 
hearts,  sons  of  this  great  city,  are  sleeping  in  Southern 
graves. 

Providence  has  left  us  the  sweet  privilege  of  rallying  once 
again  around  these  standards,  to  lay  them  away,  we  trust,, 
forever.  I  am  deputed  by  my  comrades  to  say  to  your  Soci 
ety  through  you  :  Take  these  sacred  symbols  of  our  loyalty  ;. 
preserve  them  carefully;  hang  them  where  our  children  and 
children's  children  to  latest  posterity  may  come  and  look 
upon  them,  and  drink  in  patriotic  inspiration,  and  senti 
ments  of  right  and  truth  and  unity,  as  the  flowers  drink  in 
the  dew. 

And  may  God  grant  that  they  may  here  learn  to  cherish 
the  institutions  we  have  helped  to  save,  and  value  those 
principles  of  liberty,  righteousness,  and  human  brotherhood 
— principles  born  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God — which 
were  rescued  from  impending  peril  by  the  blood  of  the  heroes 
who  fell  beneath  their  folds,  and  who  now  lie  sleeping  in 
honored  sepulchres  !  (Loud  and  prolonged  applause.) 

REPLY  OF  REV.  DR.  STORRS. 

Gentlemen,  Officers  and  Men  of  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment^ 

General  Gillmore,  and  Honored  Guests  : 
I  have  never  before  felt  it  so  impossible  to  say  that  which 
would  be  to  my  own  mind  and  heart  appropriate  and  adequate 
to  the  occasion  as  I  do  this  evening.     Words  are  weak  in 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS. 

the  presence  of  heroic  deeds.  All  sentences  seem  to  turn  to 
nothingness  in  the  presence  of  such  symbols  as  these,  and 
under  the  august  memories  by  which  we  are  overshadowed. 
Eloquence  is  in  silence.  I  can  say  certainly  for  the  Society 
of  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be  President,  that  we  receive 
with  gladness  and  with  gratitude  these  symbols  of  heroic 
daring  and  suffering  and  success  ;  that  we  will  guard  them 
carefully  ;  we  will  make  our  custody  of  them  as  permanent 
as  the  continued  existence  of  the  Society — which,  I  trust, 
will  be  as  permanent  as  the  city  and  "as  the  land.  And  we 
will,  sir,  teach  those  who  shall  look  upon  them  in  their 
torn  majesty,  in  the  splendor  which  not  merely  consists  with 
but  comes  from  these  drooping  threads  and  these  half- 
obscured  stars — we  will  teach  those  who  look  upon  them  to 
reverence  the  holy  cause  in  which  they  were  first  advanced, 
and  the  glory  of  whose  memory  shall  cling  to  them  ever 
more.  (Applause.)  It  is  in  fact,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  a 
proper  function  of  this  Society,  and  one  for  which  in  part  it 
was  constituted,  to  preserve  the  records  and  the  memorials  of 
that  tremendous  struggle  which  began  twenty  years  ago.  The 
Society  began  its  life  in  the  midst  of  the  civil  war,  in  1863, 
.a  few  months  after  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  a 
few  months  before  the  victory  of  Gettysburg ;  and  one  pur 
pose  which  those  who  founded  it  had  in  founding  it  was  to 
preserve  whatever  might  relate  to  that  supreme  passage  in 
our  national  experience,  which  was  the  result  of  so  many  ten 
dencies  going  before,  which  was  felt  to  be  the  certain  source 
and  cause  of  so  many  and  such  vast  influences  following 
after.  The  Society  exists  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
called  together  this  evening,  in  the  persons  of  its  officers  and 
directors,  to  put  into  its  most  choice  treasure-house  these 
relics  of  that  great,  that  prophetic,  that  memorable  struggle. 
How  vast  the  contrast  between  the  scene  in  which  we  are 
gathered  this  evening,  peaceful  and  brilliant,  and  the  scenes 
which  are  recalled  to  us  by  these  historical  relics  which  have 
been  presented  to  us — scenes  of  twenty  years  ago  !  On  the 
1 5th  of  April  the  President's  proclamation  calling  for  seventy- 


238  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

five  thousand  volunteers  was  published.  On  the  2Oth  of 
April,  1 86 1,  the  order  was  given  to  General  Duryea  to  for 
ward  two  regiments  from  Brooklyn  to  the  front ;  and  on  the 
2ist — twenty  years  ago  to-day,  it  falling  on  a  Sunday  in  that 
year — collections  were  taken  in  the  churches  of  this  city  to 
aid  in  the  equipment  and  the  furtherance  of  the  regiments 
immediately  going  forward.  We  remember,  all  of  us,  that 
which  followed  in  those  four  apocalyptic  years — the  raising 
of  this  regiment  and  of  others ;  the  long  suspense ;  the 
dreadful  fear,  when  battle  was  imminent,  of  those  who  tarried 
at  home  and  looked  with  eyes  blinded  with  tears  toward  the 
perilous  lines  of  battle  in  the  distance  ;  the  pain  which  fol 
lowed  defeat,  the  exultation  which- came  after  success;  the 
long-protracted  and  fierce  excitements  under  which  so  many 
died  at  the  North — under  which  so-  many  of  the  women 
whose  hands  had  wrought  or  whose  money  had  purchased 
this  flag  fell  into  graves,  stricken  by  the  war  as  if  they  had 
been  hit  by  bullets  at  the  front.  We  remember  the  triumph 
with  which  the  close  of  the  struggle  was  hailed,  and  that 
stroke  which  fell  like  a  bolt  from  a  clear  sky,  in  the  death  of 
the  President  under  whose  counsel  and  administration  it  had 
been  carried  to  success,  and  the  silent  processions  that 
carried  his  remains  to  their  resting-place  in  the  West :  it 
seems  almost  like  romance  rather  than  sober  history  as  we 
recall  it  all.  Reckoning  time  by  experience  rather  than  by 
the  passage  of  suns  across  meridians,  we  might  almost  remit 
that  period  to  the  middle  ages,  it  seems  so  remote  from  us 
as  we  sit  together  in  our  cheerful  prosperity  this  evening. 
The  contrast  on  which  these  flags  have  looked — which  looked 
once  into  the  mouth  of  hell  from  the  parapet  at  Fort  Wag 
ner  or  at  Cold  Harbor,  and  which  now  look  upon  this  cheer 
ful  assembly,  gathered  in  peace,  gathered  in  liberty,  full  of 
hope,  full  of  joy,  full  of  exulting  memories  of  the  past  and 
of  bright  expectations — this  contrast  is  hardly  greater  than 
that  between  the  scenes  which  surrounded  us  then  and  the 
scenes  which  surround  us  now.  Out  of  the  hurricane  into 
the  calm  we  have  come.  It  reminds  one  of  those  hamlets, 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  239 

villas,  cities,  at  the  foot  of  Vesuvius.  At  one  time  there 
is  the  terrific  explosion  of  the  volcano  hurling  its  fiery  ban 
ner  into  the  air  and  its  fiery  flood  down  the  slopes,  and  then 
there  are  the  human  habitations  on  the  hardly-cooled  lava, 
the  vineyards  in  their  luxuriance,  the  olive  orchards,  and  the 
children  sporting  in  the  garden. 

And  yet,  when  we  think  'of  this  contrast,  how  we  are  im 
pressed  by  the  fact  that  that  which  went  before  was  the 
condition  of  that  which  has  come  after — that  they  stand 
related  to  each  other  as  cause  to  effect.  He  whose  lips  have 
just  closed  this  pathetic  and  noble  address,  delivering  to  us 
the  custody  of  these  flags,  has  spoken  of  the  consequences 
which  they  foresaw  who,  twenty  years  ago,  went  forth  to 
battle  if  the  government  of  the  Union  were  not  maintained 
in  that  critical  exigency.  And  he  has  not  overstated  those 
consequences  by  a  line — by  a  phrase.  All  that  which  he 
foresaw,  and  others,  would  have  resulted,  must  have  resulted, 
except  for  the  valor  and  the  fortitude  of  these  men  who  stood 
between  the  rebellion  and  its  success.  Out  of  that  crash  of 
conflict,  which  was  inevitable,  has  come  our  liberty  and 
peace.  Two  glaciers  slipping  from  opposite  slopes  toward 
each  other  do  not  more  surely  come  into  grinding  and  crash 
ing  collision  than  did  the  two  forms  of  civilization,  differing 
in  purpose  and  aim  and  theory,  which  had  found  simulta 
neous  place  on  this  continent  come  into  that  tremendous 
strife.  Men  had  foreseen  it ;  and  as  he  saw  it,  Webster, 
with  his  prescience  of  the  future,  gave  the  full  energy  of  his 
magnificent  mind  to  trying  if  it  were  possible  to  avert  or  to 
prevent  the  contest.  It  had  to  come.  And  only  out  of  that 
contest,  and  the  victory  which  it  signalized  and  symbolized 
to  us  to-night,  have  come  the  joyful  peace  and  the  expectant 
hope  of  this  compacted  and  triumphant  people. 

"  Purchased  by  blood  !" — yes,  so  it  was  well  said  in  the  sal 
utatory  address.  That  is  the  august  and  luminous  motto 
written  by  the  finger  of  God  Himself  on  the  front  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  the  world.  That  is  the  legend  that  might 
be  written  on  every  grandest  achievement  of  man  in  the 


240  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S,   VOLS. 

securing  of  popular  liberty,  and  the  advancement  of  popular, 
political,  and  social  progress.  "  Purchased  by  blood  !"  So 
it  will  be  to  the  end  of  history.  The  Apocalypse  shows  that 
things  do  not  melt  quietly  into  the  consummated  kingdom 
of  God ;  but  they  march  toward  it  through  terrific  crash  of 
conflict. 

So  it  is  that  they  who  are  before  us  to-night  stand  in  suc 
cession  with  those  who  in  other  countries  and  centuries  have 
maintained  the  cause  of  righteousness  and  of  liberty.  They 
are  but  a  handful  as  compared  with  the  great  host  of  which 
they  were  a  part  in  this  our  own  land.  But  not  merely 
those  hosts  are  represented  by  them,  but  all  the  illustrious 
hosts  of  men  who  have  stood  for  the  truth  and  for  human 
progress  against  power  and  faction  since  history  began.  We 
are  overshadowed  not  merely  by  these  standards  to-night. 
They  represent  the  whole  marshalled  series  of  standards  and 
gonfalons  which  have  been  borne  by  those  who  have  bared 
their  breasts  to  the  onset  of  violence,  that  they  might  main 
tain  the  sweet  sanctities  of  home  ;  that  they  might  maintain 
the  glorious  liberties  of  peoples,  with  the  freedom  and  equity 
of  governments.  (Applause.)  We  stand  here  with  all  this 
past  behind  us  and  with  what  the  future  holds  in  it  still  to 
come.  The  question  for  us  is  whether  all  this  struggle  in 
the  past,  this  sacrifice  and  sorrow  in  the  army  and  in  the 
homes  from  which  the  army  went — whether  this  vanished 
and  precious  life  which  went  up  to  God  from  the  parapet  at 
Wagner  and  Cold  Harbor,  from  everglade  and  swamp  and 
sandy  beach — whether  all  this  is  to  have  results  adequate  to 
compensate  for  it,  a  fruitage  vast  enough  for  the  costly  and 
precious  seed.  If  we  get  mere  wealth  in  this  country  out 
of  the  war,  then  the  sacrifice  was  too  great.  Blood  is  too 
costly  to  buy  money.  If  we  get  merely  the  ornaments  of 
civilization,  then  the  sacrifice  was  too  great.  Luxury  and 
convenience  are  too  cheap  to  pay  for  a  single  life,  like  the 
many  heroic  lives  the  record  of  which  has  been  suggested  to 
us  or  read  before  us  this  evening.  We  must  get  something 
grander  and  more  enduring  as  the  fruit  of  this  vast  struggle. 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  241 

It  must  be  not  a  spirit  of  hate  toward  those  with  whom  we 
then  met  in  armed  array,  as  has  been  well  said. 

Your  spirit  is  illustrated  in  the  fact  that  you  place  these 
standards  in  tjie  custody  of  a  Society  which  exists  to  pro 
mote  the  study  of  history  ;  for  history,  as  Macaulay  said  of 
Westminster  Abbey,  is  "  a  temple  of  silence  and  reconcilia 
tion."  You  go  into  the  Ambras  Museum  in  Vienna,  and 
you  see  there  side  by  side  the  battle-axe  of  Montezuma  and 
the  lances  and  swords,  the  shields  and  horse-armor,  of  the 
chivalry  of  Europe  which  rushed  over  Mexico.  You  see 
there  the  armor  of  the  Duke  of  Parma,  Alexander  Farnese, 
and  the  armor  of  Maurice  of  Saxony  in  the  adjoining  apart 
ment  ;  the  bronze  helmets  of  Roman  soldiers,  and  the  helmet 
of  Maximilian.  History  gathers  these  standards,  and  re 
joices  to  keep  them  without  bitterness  of  spirit  ;  and  we 
would  recognize  as  readily  the  sentiment  in  those  who  fought 
against  us  in  the  great  conflict  if  they  were  gathered  around 
their  torn  battle-flags  and  honoring  them  for  the  memories 
which  they  awakened  of  courage  and  endurance  in  them 
selves.  We  are  not  to  get  a  spirit  of  sectional  strife  out  of 
these  symbols  of  the  war.  The  soldiers  on  either  side  re 
spected  each  other  more  after  the  war  than  they  had  done 
before.  (Applause.)  We  used  to  think  at  the  North  that 
the  South  could  talk  loudly  and  fiercely,  but  would  not  fight. 
The  South  thought  that  we  were  too  busy  speculating  in 
cotton,  building  railways,  starting  new  factories — too  mer 
cenary  and  craven-spirited — to  fight.  They  found  their  mis 
take  ;  we  found  ours.  And  wherever  any  sectional  spirit 
may  have  its  origin  hereafter  in  the  history  of  the  country 
it  will  not  be  among  the  soldiers  who  wore  the  blue  or  wore 
the  gray.  (Applause.)  But  we  must  get  that  which  is  per 
manent  and  fruitful  out  of  the  struggle.  Part  of  it  we  have. 
The  old  flag  is  everywhere  supreme  from  the  St.  Croix  to 
the  Rio  Grande — "  not  a  star  erased  or  obscured,  and  not  a 
stripe  polluted."  We  must  have  the  old  institutions  and 
spirit  of  American  freedom  equally  universal — a  free  and  hon 
est  ballot  everywhere.  (Applause.)  We  must  have  the  race 
16 


242  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.   VOLS. 

that  won  its  spurs  where  you  won  yours — at  Fort  Wagner 
(applause) — lifted  into  confirmed,  recognized,  and  permanent 
liberty,  every  hand  that  held  the  bayonet  holding  the  bal 
lot—now  (applause)  more  powerful  than  the  Bayonet.  We 
must  have  the  American  spirit  exalted  and  reinforced,  filled 
with  a  loftier  patriotism  and  a  nobler  hope.  That  spirit 
comes  out  of  great  crises.  It  is  a  mistake  to  say  "'blessed 
is  the  people  which  has  no  history."  Blessed,  rather,  is  the 
people  whose  history  is  rough  with  lofty  passages  of  peril 
which  have  been  met  in  a  spirit  adequate  to  the  greatness 
of  the  crisis.  In  such  a  people  you  find  no  low  monotony 
of  life.  A  lazy  man  said,  when  some  one  asked  him  how 
he  remembered  so  many  stories,  "  I  don't  know  ;  I  just 
heard  them  here  and  there,  and  I  was  too  lazy  to  take  the 
trouble  to  forget  them."  (Laughter.)  Men  sometimes  take 
great  privileges,  political  and  social,  inherited  from  their  an 
cestors,  and  enjoy  them,  simply  because  they  are  too  lazy  to 
lose  them  ;  but  the  spirit  that  clutches  victory  upon  the  edge 
of  defeat,  that  rescues  freedom  when  desperately  assailed, 
that  rises  to  the  supremacy  of  self-consecration  in  defending 
the  grand  cause  of  patriotism  and  of  religion — that  is  the 
spirit  which  more  than  mines  of  wealth,  more  than  a  million 
trains  thundering  over  railways,  more  than  hundreds  of  thou 
sands  of  factories  with  their  humming  wheels,  ennobles  and 
glorifies  a  nation.  That  spirit  comes  out  of  great  emergen 
cies  nobly  met.  That  spirit  comes,  and  must  come  more 
and  more  in  the  future  experience  of  this  people,  out  of  that 
crisis  where  you  so  bravely  met  the  onset  of  the  vehement 
enemy. 

I  pray  God  that  the  life  which  was  sacrificed  and  the  life 
which  was  imperilled  may  have  these  magnificent  results  un 
der  His  superintending  and  guiding  providence.  Certainly 
it  shall  have  it  in  the  advancing  and  illumined  history  of  the 
American  people,  in  the  perfected  liberties  made  universal, 
in  the  grander  spirit  and  temper  of  this  expanding  and  pow 
erful  nation.  So  the  influence  of  those  who  took  part  in  that 
struggle  shall  go  on,  while  these  banners  continue,  in  a  pros- 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS.  243 

perity  tranquil  as  these  pearls  in  which  the  legends  were 
wrought  upon  them,  rich  as  these  gold  beads  in  which  the 
arms  of  the  State  were  blazoned — it  shall  go  on,  the  influ 
ence  of  those  who  took  part  in  that  struggle,  in  the  exalted 
spirit  of  the  people,  and  in  the  influence  of  the  people  upon 
the  world,  until  God  folds  up  and  lays  aside  His  own  banner 
of  yonder  constellations  in  the  heavens.  (Applause.) 

Mr.  Werrenrath  sang  the  "  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  the 
audience  joining  in  the  chorus. 

Prayer  was  then  offered  and  the  benediction  pronounced 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Farley,  after  which  the  audience  gradually 
dispersed.  A  large  number  met  General  Gillmore  in  the  li 
brary,  including  all  of  the  veterans,  and  shook  hands  with 
him. 

Thus  this  wonderful  night  of  reunion  drew  to  its  close. 
It  can  never  be  repeated.  We  will  never  meet  again — so 
many  of  us — until  we  meet  to  answer  to  the  great  roll-call 
above. 

One  result  of  that  reunion  was  the  organization  of  a  Vet 
eran  Association  of  the  Forty-eighth  New  York  Volunteers, 
which  has  held  monthly  meetings  ever  since,  and  under 
whose  auspices  this  History  has  been  prepared. 

Major  Barrett  was  the  President  of  the  Association  the 
first  three  years,  and  Lieutenant  Acker  the  fourth  year. 

The  names  and  addresses  of  more  than  three  hundred 
surviving  members  of  the  regiment' have  been  ascertained, 
with  whom  a  correspondence  is  kept  up.  Many  have  been 
aided  in  securing  pensions  and  back-pay  due  them,  and 
situations  have  been  obtained  for  some.  The  comrades  are 
widely  scattered  through  almost  every  State  and  Territory, 
and  a  number  live  beyond  the  sea. 

About  one  hundred  reside  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
vicinity,  and  all  feel  that  we  are  bound  together  by  a  last 
ing  bond  of  brotherhood. 

The  twentieth  anniversary  of    "  Fort  Wagner"  was   ob- 


244  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

served  at  Glen  Island,  July  18,  1883,  by  about  sixty  of  the 
comrades;  and  February  20,  1885,  was  made  the  occasion 
for  recalling  "  Olustee"  at  a  large  gathering  of  the  members 
of  the  Association  at  their  rooms  in  Brooklyn. 

A  reunion  of  the  Forty-seventh  and  Forty-eighth  was 
held  at  Coney  Island  July  30,  1885,  that  day  being  the 
twenty-first  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the  Petersburg 
mine  explosion.  It  is  hoped  that  similar  gatherings  will 
be  held  from  year  to  year. 

The  officers  of  the  Veteran  Association  at  this  time  (1885) 
are  as  follows : 

GEORGE  W.  MARTEN,  President. 

TOM   DAWSON,  Vice-President. 

DAVID  B.  WHEELER,  Secretary. 

JAMES  A.  BARRETT,  Treasurer. 

GEORGE  B.  STAYLEY,  Treasurer  History  Fund. 

GEORGE  W.  BRUSH,  M.D.,  Surgeon. 

ABRAHAM  J.  PALMER,  Chaplain  and  Historian. 


ROSTER   AND    RECORD 

OF   THE 

FoRTY-ElGHTH      REGIMENT, 

NEW   YORK  STATE  VOLUNTEERS. 
1861-1865. 


CONCERNING  THE  ROSTER  AND  RECORD. 

The  Muster-out  rolls  on  file  in  the  Adjutant-General's  Office  at  Albany  have 
served  as  the  basis  for  the  Roster  and  Record  of  the  Regiment,  but  they  have 
been  found  so  incomplete  and  inaccurate  that  much  time  and  labor  have  been 
required  in  preparing  them  for  publication.  They  have  been  compared  with 
the  records  at  Albany  and  with  the  printed  reports  of  the  Adjutants-General  of 
the  State  and  General  governments,  and  with  such  other  sources  of  information 
as  have  been  accessible  to  the  Committee  having  the  work  in  charge;  but  not 
withstanding  all  the  labor  that  has  been  bestowed  upon  the  following  pages, 
they  undoubtedly  contain  many  errors— some  of  them  serious  and  annoying. 
No  one  will  regret  this  more  than  the  members  of  the  Committee,  but  they  can 
plead  in  extenuation  that  the  best  possible  service  has  been  rendered  with 
the  facilities  at  their  command.  The  forbearance  of  all  concerned  is  asked, 
and  that  the  difficulties  under  which  the  work  has  been  done  will  be  borne  in  mind 
when  this  portion  of  the  history  passes  under  review  and  criticism. 

While  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  regimental  and  company  records  were  not 
kept  with  greater  care'  and  accuracy,  it  must  be  remembered  that  they  were  in 
the  hands  of  many  different  persons  during  a  period  of  four  years,  and  that,  con 
sidering  the  exigencies  and  vicissitudes  of  the  service,  especially  when  in  the 
field,  it  is  surprising,  rather  than  otherwise,  that  they  were  preserved  at  all  and 
with  any  approach  to  correctness. 

EXPLANATIONS.— The  four  records  after  each  name  are,  in  order  :  the  age  at 
enlistment,  the  date  thereof,  the  time  of  leaving  the  service,  and  the  reason 
therefor.  The  date  of  rank  is  given  with  each  commission.  Blank  spaces  in 
dicate  that  a  part  of  the  record  is  missing. 

ABBREVIATIONS.— Exp'n  of  service,  for  expiration  of  term  of  service  or  enlist 
ment;  Trans,  for  Transferred;  U.  S.  C.  T.  for  United  States  Colored  Troops;  V. 
for  Volunteer;  V.V.  for  Veteran  Volunteer;  R.  for  Recruit;  S.  for  Substitute; 
D.  for  Drafted. 


ROSTER  AND    RECORD. 


FIELD   AND   STAFF. 

COLONELS. 
Perry,  James  H.     49.     July  24,  '61 — June  18,  '62.      Died  of  disease  at  Ft.    Pu- 

laski.     Colonel  Oct.  26,  '61.     V. 
Barton,  William   B.     26.     July  24,  '61 — Dec.  3,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Lieut. - 

Col.   Aug.    21,    '6t;  Colonel   June    18,    '62.     Brevet    Brig.-Genl.    U.   S.   V. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Coan.  William  B.     30.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Capt. 

Co.   E  Aug.   27,  '61;  Major   July  18.  '63;  Lieut. -Col.  June   9,    '64;  Colonel 

Dec.  3,  '64.      Brevet-Col.  U.  S.  V.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner,  Olustee,  and 

Ft.  Fisher.     V. 

LIEUTENANT-COLONELS. 

Beard,  Oliver  T.     28.     July  24,  '61 — Dec.  24,  '62.     Resigned.     Major  Oct.  26, 

'61;  Lieut.-Col.  June  18, '62.     V. 

Green,  James  M.  32.  Aug.  5,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  Capt.  Co.  F  Aug.  31,  '61;  Major  June  18,  '62;  Lieut.-Col.  Dec.  24. 

'62.     V. 
Strickland,   Dudley  W.     23.     July  24,  '61 — June  9,  '64.     Resigned.     Capt.   Co. 

H  Aug.  16,  '61;  Major  Dec.  24,  '62;  Lieut.-Col.  July  18,  '63.     V. 
Elfwing,   Nere  A.     29.     Sept.   5,    '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out  of    Regt.     ist 

Lieut.  Co.  B  Sept.  5,  '61;  Capt.  Aug.  29,  '62;  Major  June  9,  '64;  Lieut.-Col. 

Dec.  3,  '64  (not  mustered).     Brevet  Lieut.-Col.  U.  S.  V.  and   Brevet-Col.   N. 

Y.  V.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner,  Olustee,  Ft.   Fisher,  and  Wilmington  (leg 

amputated).     V. 

MAJORS. 

Swartwout,  Samuel  M.  22.  Aug.  3,  '61— July  30,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Pe 
tersburg  mine  explosion,  ist  Lieut.  Co.  I  Sept.  14,  '61;  Capt.  Co.  F  Dec. 
24,  '62;  Major  July  6,  '64.  Wounded  at  Fort  Wagner.  V. 

Miller,  Albert  F.  35.  Aug.  I,  '61 — Jan.  13,  '65.  Discharged,  disability.  2d 
Lieut.  Co.  K  Aug.  16,  '61;  ist  Lieut.  May  6,  '62;  Capt.  July  18,  '63;  Major 
Dec.  3,  '64  (not  mustered).  Brevet  Lieut.-Col.  N.  Y.  V.  Wounded  at  Ft. 
Wagner  and  Cold  Harbor.  V. 

Barrett,  James  A.  29.  July  27,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  H  to  2d  Lieut.  Dec.  29,  '62;  ist  Lieut.  July  31, 
'63;  Capt.  May  16,  '64;  Major  April  13,  '65  (not  mustered).  Wounded  at 
Ft.  Wagner  and  twice  at  Cold  Harbor.  V. 

ADJUTANTS. 

Goodell,  Anthony  W.  37.  July  24,  '61 — March  7,  '63.  Resigned.  Adjutant 
Sept.  5,  '61.  V. 

Hale.  Christopher.  34.  Aug.  19.  '61 — Oct.  19,  '64.  Discharged,  disability. 
Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  E  to  2d  Lieut.  May  2,  '62;  Adjutant  Mar.  7, 
'63.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Seaward,  Benjamin.  21.  Oct.  13.  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergeant  Co.  K  to  Sergt. -Major;  2d  Lieut.  May  26,  '64;  ist  Lieut. 
Aug.  14,  '64;  Adjutant  Oct.  19,  '64.  Brevet  Capt.  U.  S.  V.  Wounded  at  Ft. 
Wagner  and  Strawberry  Plains.  V. 


248  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.  VOLS. 

FIELD  AND   STAFF—  Continued. 


May  26,  '64;  Quartermaster 
MuffordGEJoNsePhL.    31.     July  24,   '6i-Sept.  *>,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Sur 
geon  Sept   5,  '61.     V  '63-Sept.    I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt. 

eAnsds0td'SuCrhgaeonA6ct24i7,°'C6t3;   s'u^on    sJpt.    ,o,  V     Taken   prisoner   at 
Olustee,  having  remained  with  the  wounded.     V. 

.     Oct.  15,  '61-Aug.  „,  '63.    Commissioned  Surgeon 


Surgeon  March  22,  '64.     V. 
StricklandfwHliam  P.     51.     Ju.y  ,4,  '^-June   13,  '63.     Resigned.     Chaplain 

TaylSorPtwiufam  Hi     «.     April  *,.  '64-June  14,  '65.     Discharged.     Chaplain 
April  29,  '64.     V. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   STAFF. 

SERGEANTS-MAJOR. 


from  Sergt.  Co.  E.     V.V. 
-SERGEANTS. 


.;  1,-Nov.  „,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Promoted 
from  Private  Co.  H.     V. 


S  July  *,   •*-&  "»•  >63.     ^Ued   in  action    at   Ft. 
ShanlTGeorle   H.     T9.     Aug.  ,6  .^-Sep,  ,,    '65.     Muster-out  of   Regt. 
Promoted  from  Musician  Co.  E.     V.V. 

ffi^ 


moted  from  Private  Co.  E.     V.V. 
PRINCIPAL  MUSICIANS. 


ig-sn.t.  ,,'65.     Muster-out  of  Reg.     Pro- 
moted  from  Private  Co.  B.     V.V. 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD.  249 


COMPANY  A. 

CAPTAINS. 
Lent,  Louis  H.  27.  July  9,  '61 — July  10,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Morris  Island. 

Capt.  Aug.  21,  '61.     V. 
Dunbar,  Wm.  H.    24.   Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    ist  Lieut. 

Co.  G  Aug.  26,  '61;  Capt.  July  10,  '63.   Brevet  Major  U.  S.  V.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Dawson,  Tom.     22.    Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     Promoted 

from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  K.  to  2d  Lieut.  July  30.  '6_j ;  ist  Lieut.  Dec.  3,  '64;  Capt. 

Apl.  16,  '65  (not  mustered).     Wounded  at  Strawberry  Plains.     V.V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 
Corwin,  B.  Ryder.     28.     Aug.  21,  '61 — May  22,  '63.     Commissioned  Major  34th 

U.  S.  C.  T.     ist  Lieut.  Aug.    21,  '61.     V. 
Schultz,  Harmon  C.    23.     Aug.  i, '61 — Nov.  12, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Promoted 

from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  C  to  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  12,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  Apl.  19,  '64.  V. 
Rumsey,    Dubois   B.     20.      Sept.    13,    '61 — Sept.    I,    '65.     Muster-out  of    Regt. 

Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.   E    to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  2,  '65;  ist  Lieut.    Apl. 

16,  '65  (not  mustered).     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Ferguson,  Asa  H.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Moser,  Samuel  H.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 

Fox,  Charles  E.  19.  July  15,  '61 — Aug.  n,  '63.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  21,  '63.  V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 
Hamel,  John  G.    30.     July  20,  '61 — May  I,  '64.     Commissioned  2d  Lieut.  4Oth 

U.  S.  C.  T.     V.V. 

Spooner,  Edwin  B.     29.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Apl.  16,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Mackellar,  Robt.  F.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  B. 
Conklin,  Wm.  H.     22.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  22,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Morris  Island.     Declined  commission  of  2d  Lieut.     V. 
Martin,    George    W.      21.     Mar.    20,    '62 — Mar.    22,    '65.     Exp'n   of    service. 

Wounded  at  Deep  Bottom.     Declined  promotion  to  ist  Lieut.     V. 
Himrod,  James.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Wiegand,  John  C.     31.     Aug.  5, '61 — Sept.  i, '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     Taken  prisoner  at  Hatcher's  Run.     V.V. 

SERGEANTS. 

Brush,  Geo.  W.  19.  Aug.  13,  '61 — June  4,  '63.  Commissioned  2d  Lieut.  34th 
U.  S.  C.  T.;  ist  Lieut.  June  18,  '64;  Capt.  Mar.  6,  '65.  V. 

Carman,  Jarvis  C.  21.  Aug.  23,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Corwin,  Wm.  A.     29.     Aug.  8,  '61 — May  '63.     Disability.     V. 

Doughty,  Gardner  K.  24.  Dec.  2, '61 — Dec.  2, '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Drewry's  Bluff.  Declined  commission  of  2d  Lieut.  V. 

Fletcher,  Daniel  B.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  F. 

Hunter,  Geo.  D.  29.  Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  30,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  Sept. 
15,  '64.  V.V. 

Hamel,  Gotlieb.  18.  July  29, '61 — Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
by  accidental  explosion  of  shell  at  St.  Augustine.  V.V. 

Kron,  Fred.  D.     20.     Aug.  26,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 


250 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY  A— Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued.  . 

Lewis,  John  F.     40.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner,  Cold  Harbor,  and  Ft.  Fisher.     V.V. 
Moran,  John  F.     32.     Nov.  9,  '63 — Sept.  i,  65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Wohlfarth,  Richard.     18.    July  15, '61— Sept.  20, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V. 

CORPORALS. 

Brady,  Philip  A.     31.     Jan.  18,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Conant,  Wm.   L.     19.     Aug.   27,  '61 — Sept.   16,  '62.     Commissioned  ist   Lieut. 

i27th  N.  Y.  V.;  Capt.  Mar.  i,  '65  (not  mustered).     V. 
Butcher,    Dewitt  C.     23.     July  20,    '61 — Jan.  25,    '62.     Drowned  from  steamer 

Winfield  Scott.     V. 

Gerow,  Cory  S.     26.     Feb.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hunter,  Frank  W.     20.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Leonard,  Geo.  W.     15.     Aug.  3,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Morris  Island  and  Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V. 

Lane,  Chas.     20.     Sept.  16,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
McDowell,    Wm.    H.     29.     July    29,    '61 — Sept.    i,    '65.      Muster-out   of   Regt. 

Wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Quinlan,    Timothy.      18.      Aug.    27,    '61 — Dec.    28,    '63.       Disability,    wounds. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Scott,  Wm.  H.     33.     Dec.  10,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Smith,  Jesse  J.     19.     Aug.  27,  '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Vredenberg,  Geo.  S.  D.     22.     Aug.   17,   '61 — Sept.   20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Beard,  John.      16.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Burr,  Wm.    J.     14.     Jan.  7,    '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Roe,  Thos.  H.     17.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

WAGONERS. 

Dupree,  John  A.     21.     Aug.  25,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
White,  David.     28.     Aug.    7,   '61 — Aug.   4,    '65.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 
Wagner.     V.V. 

PRIVATES. 
Adams,  Valentine. 
Austin,  John.     22. 
Ames,  Joel  C.     42. 
Brady,  Patrick.    '23 
Barney,  Edward  J. 
Brady,  James.      19. 

Wagner.     V. 

Barron,  Wm.  F.     38.     Nov.  2,  '63— Apl.  18,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy. 
Butler,  James.     37.      Dec.  17,  '61— May  3,  '65.      Disability.     V.V. 


22.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Oct.  21,  '63— Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.     D. 
Aug.  21,  '61— July  18,  '63.     Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Aug.  28,  '61— July  18,  '63.     Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Aug.  26,  '61 — May  25,  '65.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 


V. 


Buckley,  John.     38.     Apl.  3,  '62— Sept".  '64. 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Brady,  Peter  A. 

Babcock,  Joseph.     21.     Jan.  14.  '65 — Sept.  : 
Bell,  John.     21.     Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65. 


Died  at  Andersonville.     Wounded 


'65.     Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


S. 


XOSTEX  AND   RECORD.  2$  I 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Contin  ued. 

Burns,  John.     23.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bower, -Godfrey.     27.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 
Brush,  John.    21.    Sept.  10,  '61 — April  28,  '62.     Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pulaski.    V. 
Barber,  Austin  A.      18.     Sept.  22,  '64 — June  2,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Barber,  R.  W.     22.     Sept.  26,  '64— June  2,  '65.      Disability.     S. 
Burns,  James.     29.     Sept.  23,  '64 — June  2,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Barnes,  Peter.      18.     Feb.  18,  '65 — June  27,  '65.     Died  of  disease  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Bradley,  James   E.     26.     Sept.   3,  '61 — Dec.   26,  '63.     Trans,   to   Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Morris  Island.     V. 

Conklin,  Peter  J.     27.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Oct.  15,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
Carman,  Geo.  A.    18.    Sept.  5,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Fort  Wagner.     V.V. 
Cadmus,  Cornelius.     22.     Aug.  20,  '61 — June   19,  '64.     Died  at  Andersonville. 

Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.    V. 

Coughlin,  Thos.     27.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Conlon,  Michael.     42.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Clark,  Horatio.     19.     Jan.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cook,  Andrew.     31.     Jan.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Civil,  Jasper.     18.     Dec.  31,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Crawford,  Emmett.      18.     Sept.  5.  '61 — Sept.  27,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Carney,  Thos.      15.     Aug.  '61 — Aug.  25,  '61.     Discharged  (under  age).     V. 
Christie,  Robert.     20.     Jan.  14,  '65 — June  9.  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Commerford,  Francis.      19.     Aug.  12,  '61. — June  7,  '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Cedore,  Henry.     20.     Jan.  13,  '65 — May  22,  '65.     Died  of  disease.     S. 
Davis,  John.      38.     Aug.  31,  '63 —  Missing,  Mar.  '64.     D. 

Dupree,  Elliott  B.     19.     July  15,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Dillon,  James.     23.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Dillon,  Tobias.     21.     Aug.  6,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Doyle,  Michael  J.     34.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
De  Young,  Jno.     32.     Sept.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V.V. 
Doughty,   Ed.   F.      22.     Aug.    26,    '62 — Oct.   16,    '64.     Died    at   Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Decker,  Alfred.     38.     Oct.  8,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     D. 
Decker,    Robert.      32.      Oct.  8,    '63 — Sept.   19,   '64.      Disability.     Wounded  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     D. 

Durham.  Ed.     22.     Jan.  19,  '65 — June  30,  '65.      Disability.     S. 
Dresham,  Joseph.      19.     Jan.  19,  '65 — July  19,  '65.      Died  of  disease.     S. 
Donnegan,  Patrick.     35.     Sept.  5,    '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  at  Ft. Wagner.      V. 
Evans,  Levi.      18.     Feb.  27,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Evens,  Leander.     29.     Jan.  5,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Farrell,  Jos.  F.      19.     Sept.  '61 —  Missing  from  furlough  to  N.  Y. 

Feb.  '64.     V.V. 

Farrell,  Lawrence.  48.  Sept.  3,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 
Ferderliner,  John  H.  33.  Aug.  16,  '61 — Jan.  7,  '64.  Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.  V. 
Fisher,  Henry.  25.  Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 

at  Morris  Island  and  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 

Fenno,  Wm.     36.     Oct.  8,  '63 — Apr.  18,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.      D. 
Fahey,  Thos.  B.     18.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Ferguson,  John  R.     29.     Mar.  3,  '63 — July  10,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at   Morris 

Island.     D. 
Ferguson,  Wm.  A.     32.     Sept.   5,  '61 — July  10,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Morris 

Island.     V. 


252  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  A— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Fitzpatrick,  John.     26.     Aug.  22,  '61 — April  18,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Fobs,   Andrew.     20.     Aug.   20,   '61 — July  10,  '63.     Killed  in   action    at  Morris 

Island.     V. 
Gillespie,  John.     19.     Sept.  i,  '61 —  Missing  from  furlough  to  New 

York  Feb.  '64.     V.V. 

Green,  Chas.     32.     Aug.  8,  '63 — June  2,  '65.  Wounded  at  Olustee.     D. 

Gaccommitto,    Joseph.     24.     Nov.   26,  '62 — Sept.   '64.     Died   at  Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 

Grimm,  Henry.     25.     Mar.  31,  '62 — May  4,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Green,  Asa  C.     30.     Jan.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Graves,  Clark  V.     18.     Jan.  14,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Garde,  Morris.     19.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gibbens,  John.     40.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hutt,  Joseph.     45.     Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Hallahan,  John.     25.     Oct.  8,  '63 — June  5,  '65.     Enlisted  in   Light  Battery  E, 

3d  U.  S.  Art.    D. 

Herkin,  Wm.     18.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hill,  John.     20.     Mar.  3,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Hand,  Wm.     20.     Sept.  2,  '63  -April  18,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     D. 
Hunt,  Franklin.     27.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Halstead,  Wm.     25.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Oct.  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Hedberg,  Chas.    21.    Aug.  6, '6 1 — June  7,  '62.    Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pulaski.    V. 
Hoppe,  Chas.     22.     April  10,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Hehl,  Peter.     23.     Sept.  2,  '63 —  Missing  from  Camp  Parole  at 

Annapolis.      D. 
Hallahan,  John.     29.     Aug.    5,  '61 — May  25,  '64.     Died  of  wounds  received  at 

Drevvry's  Bluff.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Johnson,  Isaac  O.     18.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Jan.   7,  '64.     Trans,  to   Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Morris  Island.     V. 
Johnson,   Jonas  P.     23.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Oct.  20,  '64.    Disability.     Wounded  on 

picket  near  Hatcher's  Run.     V. 

Johnson,  Geo.  I.     24.     Jan.  7,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Johnson,  Warren.     22.     Jan.  7,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Kerrigan,  Patrick.     20.     Sept.  5,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Ketcham,  Luther  S.    33.    Aug.  22,  '61— Dec.  10,  '63.   Died  of  wounds.    Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Kron,  Peter.     40.     Aug.  19,  '62 — May  24,  '65.     Disability.     V. 
King,  Jas.  M.     22.     July  20,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Kelly,  Wm.     28.     Oct.  8,  '63—  Missing.     D. 

Kessler,  Xoner.     34.     June  12,  '62 — June  14,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Kelmel,  Nicholas.     24.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Kenny,  Mathew.  — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt. 

Keys,  James.     42.     July  24,  '61 — June,  '63.      Disability.     V. 
Leech,  Geo.  A.     44.    Aug.  26,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.   Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Lane,  Geo.     32.     Sept.  16,  '61 — Feb.  28,  '65.     Died  of  wounds.     Wounded  and 

taken  prisoner  at  Olustee,  and  wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Lane,     John.      26.      Sept.     16,   '61 — July    26,   '65.      Disability.      Wounded    at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Lawson,  Ed.  M.     29.     Dec.  10,  '61 — Dec.  10,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee   and    Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 
Limberg,  Errick.     27.     July  19,  '61 — June  27,  '65.   Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Petersburg,  and  wounded  and  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Livingston,  Ferdinand.     28.     April  9,  '62 —  Missing  from  veteran 

furlough.     V.V. 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD.  253 

COMPANY  A— Continued. 

P  R  I  v  ATES—  Contin  ued. 
Livingston,    H.    B.      30.      Nov.   27,  '63 — Sept.    i,   '65.      Muster-out   of   Regt. 

Wounded  at  Drevvry's  Bluff.     V. 

Lorley,  John.     32.     Sept.  3,  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Lewison,  Albert.     21.     Mar.  9,  '65— June  10,  '65.  S. 

Larkin,  James.     28.     Aug.  30,  '61 — July  18,  '63.      Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Leary,  Brock.      19.     Jan.  6,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lynch,  John.     23.      Feb.  26,  '65— July  8,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Linnenger,    Ferdinand.     28.     April    19,    '62 —  Missing   from 

veteran  furlough,  '64.     V.V. 

Lee,  George.      19.     Sept.  6,  '61 —  Missing,  Oct.  18,  '62.     V. 

Morgan,  James.    40.     July  18,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Morris  Island  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Morgan,  Patrick.     25.     Aug.  10,   '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
McCarthy,  Luke.     38.     July  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.      Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  twice  at  Olustee.     V. 

McGarry,  John.     43.     Jan.  13,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Melich,  August.     30.     Sept.    i,  '63 — Oct.  28,  '64.     Died   of  wounds.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     D. 
Miniter,  Frank.      18.     Nov.  10, '63 — Sept.  i, '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Moran,  John.     24.     April  8,  '62 — April   18,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 
Millspaugh,    Wm.      31.       Dec.    10,    '63  —  Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster-out   of   Regt. 

Wounded  at  Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V. 
Mittledorf,   George.     27.     April   10,  '62 — June  6,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Cold 

Harbor.     V.V. 
Murphy,  John.     18.     Jan.  5,  '64 — Sept.   i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 

Mayher,  Patrick.     20.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Mack,  Thos.     21.     Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Monton,  Chas.  H.      18.      March  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 
Murray,  John.     23.    Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  Wilmington,  March  2,  '65.     S. 

Mullholland,  Owen.     35.     Sept.  4,  '6*r — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  at  Olustee.     V. 
McClellen,  John  C.     36.      Mar.  14,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McClellen,    Howard    S.      33.       Mar.     20,     '65 — Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster  out   of 

Regt.     S. 
McKenzie,  George.    43.     Feb.  21,  '65—    .  Missing  from  Raleigh,  June 

3,  '65-     S. 
McCann,    Barney.     38.     Aug.    29,  '61 — July    18,    '63.     Killed   in    action    at    Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 

Mackey,  Eager.     23.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  27,  '61.      Disability.     V. 
Mathews,  John.     37.     Sept.  3,  61 — Sept.  27,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Milton,  Richard.     23.     July  31,  '61— Sept.  27,  '61.    Disability.     V. 
McCormack,  Wm.     37.     Sept.  10,  '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Martin,  George  W.      17.     Feb.  20,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Nolan,   John.     46.     Aug.  7,  '61— Aug.    17,   '65.      Wounded  at   Ft.  Wagner  and 

Chester  Heights.     V.V. 
Nolan,  Peter.     18.     Aug.  29,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

Neddo,  Andrew.     23.     Jan.  13,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Nash,  George  R.     32.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
O'Grady,  Thos.     40.     Sept.  7,  '61 — Aug.  12,  '65.     Disability.     V.V. 
Poulson,  Wm.  A.     22.     Nov.  12.  '61 — Nov.  21,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Peck,  Reuben.     18.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Peck,  Lyman.     18.     Feb.  20,^65—  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


254  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S..  VOLS.. 

COMPANY  A— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Price,  Solomon  W.     18.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Oct.  27,  '61.      Died  of  disease.     V. 
Pringle,  Wm.     25.     Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington1 

Mar.  25,  '65.     S. 

Quinn,  Patrick.     26.     March  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Rikeman,  M.  A.     40.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Roth,  Wm.     31.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded  a  a 

Morris  Island  and  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 

Reilley,  Francis.     27.     July  19.  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Radley,  Seymour.     18.     Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Rychner,  August.     24.     March  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Roberts,  John.     20.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Smith,  Walter  J.     18.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded' 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Smith,    Patrick.     32.      Jan.   21,    '64— July   27,    '65.      Disability.      Wounded  and' 

taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner,  and  wounded  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Sctirank,  Conrad.     21.     April  18,  '62 — April  24.  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Scrobner,  Wm.  H.     21.     Aug.  18, '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Sheard,  Thos.     23.     Oct.  8,  '63 — May  16,  '64.  Supposed  killed  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     Wounded  at  Olustee.      D. 

Shaw,  Larry.     30.     Dec.  2,  '63 —  Missing,  July  31,  '64.      D. 

Sauer,  George      23.      Mar.  17, '63 — Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Suttiff,  John.      18.      Feb.  15,  '65— July  18,  '65.      Disability.     S. 
Seymour,  T.  S.     18.     Aug.  8,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
Snyder,  Rawson.     23.     Jan.  5,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Schneider,  Anton.     23.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Schoffler,  Jacob.     35.     Feb.  24,  '65 — June  2,  '65.  S. 

Scanlon,  John.     35.     Aug.  18,  '61 — Nov.  18,  '63.     Died  of  disease.     V. 
Sullivan,    Joseph.      22.      Jan.    18,    '65 —  Missing   from  Wil 

mington,  Mar.  15,  '65.     S. 

Toole,  Wm.     38.     July  29,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Taffe,  Lawrence.     40.     Jan.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Trainer,    Peter.      30.     Oct.  8,  '63 — Mar.  5,  '64.      Died   of  wounds   received   at 

Olustee.     D. 
Thompson,   Andrew.     24.     Aug.    17,    '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out  of   Regt. 

Returned  to  ranks  from  Musician.     V.V. 

Trapnell,  Fred.     34.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Terwilliger,  Isaac.      20.      Oct.  8,  '63 —  Missing,  Sept.  13,  '64.     D. 

Vooris,  Abram.     18.     Sept.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Van    Slyke,    C.    P.      28.     July  14,    '62.  Missing,  Nov.  22,  '64.     V. 

Velsor,  Daniel  B.     20.     Aug.  3,  '61— July  18,  '63.     Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Wetherspoon,  Francis.      19.     Jan.  13,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Wallace,  Lewis.     37.     Feb.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.      V. 
Woolfinninger,  R.     35.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Waldon,  Jacob.     32.     Mar.  9,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Williams,  Jos.  M.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 
Williams,  James.      28.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington., 

Mar.   15,  '65.     S. 
Whitlack,  Jeremiah.     18.     Jan.  13,  '65 — July  17,  '65.     Disability.     S. 


FOSTER  AND   RECORD. 


255 


Dismissed.     Promoted  from- 


COMPANY   B. 

CAPTAINS. 
Travis,  Edward  R.     27.     Aug.   20,  '61 — Aug.  30,  '62.    Resigned.     Capt.  Sept.  5, 

'61.    Com'd  Major  6th  N.  Y.  H.  A.,  Sept.  15.  '62;  Lieut.-Col.  Mar.  19,  '63.    V. 
Elfwing.  Nere  A.     See  Lieut.-Col.,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Erwin,  Augustus    M.      Aug.    13,  '62 — Sept.  i.  '65.       Muster-out    of    Regt.     2d 

Lieut.  Aug.  13,  '62;  Capt.  July  31,  '64.     Trans,  from  nyth  N.  Y.  V.    V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Robinson,  Henry  W.  25.  July  25,  '61 — May  7,  '64.  Discharged.  2d  Lieut.  Aug. 
21,  '61;  ist  Lieut.  Aug.  29,  '62.  V. 

Umpleby,  Chas.  B.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

Rowland,  A.  F.  25.  Sept.  3,  '62 — Apr.  4,  '64.  Discharged,  disability.  2d 
Lieut.  Sept.  3,  '62;  ist  Lieut.  July  18,  '63  (not  mustered).  V. 

Mackellar.  Robt.  F.  22.  Sept.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Discharged,  disability. 
Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  A  to  2d  Lieut.  Mar.  8,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  June 
i,  '64  (not  mustered).  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Michaels,  Jacob  L.  22.  Aug.  n, '61 — Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Promot 
ed  from  Sergt.  Co.  F  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  15,  '65;  ist  Lieut.  Apr.  6,  '65.  V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Vidal,  Theo.  C.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 
Lippincott,  Adon.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  D. 
Morrell.  Joseph.     20.     Sept.  9,  '61 — June  20,  '65. 

Sergt.  Co.  I  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65.     V.V 
Laxey,  John  F.    23.     Sept.  n,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Promoted' 

from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  H  to  2d  Lieut.  Apr.  16,  '65.     Wounded  at    Ft.  Wagner. 

Rec'd  the  "  Gillmore  Medal."     V.V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 
Holton,  John.     21.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Cold  Harbor.      Rec'd  the  "  Gillmore  Medal."    V.V. 
Selvage,  John  W.     18.     Sept.  14,  '61 — Sept.  10, '63.     Commissioned  2d  Lieut.  33d 
U.  S.  C.  T.;  ist  Lieut.  36th  U.  S.  C.  T.,  Mar.   14,  '65;  Capt.  Nov.  6,  '65.     V. 

SERGEANTS. 

Anderson,  H.  E.     21.     Sept.  21,  '61 — July  10,  '64.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.    V.V. 

Cox,  Bernard.     20.      Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Cummings,  M.  J.  19.  Jan.  12,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wound 
ed  at  Olustee.  V. 

Dandy,  James  H.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  G. 

Depuy,  Jacob  R.  26.  Aug.  28,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Erickson,  Peter.     26.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65. 
ed  twice  in  the  field,  Va.     S. 

Ferrigan,  John.     29.     Oct.  22,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65. 

Giles,  John.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 

Keenan,  James  M.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 

Owens,  Saml.  J.     20.     Sept.  14,  '61 — June  13,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner,  Deep  Bottom,  and  Wilmington.     V.V. 

Paddock,  Zachariah,  Jr.     See  Quartermaster,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 

Smith,  Peter  W.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

Van  Tassel,  Thos.  M.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 


Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wound- 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


256  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY   B— Continued. 

CORPORALS. 

Atwood,  Freeman.  27.  Aug.  17, '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Bennett,  Thomas.     See  Musician,  Roster  of  Co.  D. 

Bogart,  David  S.     21.     Sept.  26,  '64 — June  26,  '65.  S. 

Buckel,  George  F.     19.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Crowley,  John.  16.  Sept.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Drewry's  Bluff.  V. 

Duran,  George.  23.  Sept.  10,  '61 — Oct.  19,  '62.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  near 
Bluffton  V. 

Gardner,  John.  35.  July  28,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Hamilton,  James.  20.  June  n,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  2, 

'65.  S. 

Harruseker,  Philip.     29.     Jan.  n.  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Hyers,  Alexander.  18.  Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  30,  '63.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Mason,  Isaac  J.  31.  Sept.  3,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

McCloud,  Wm.  19.  Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V.V. 

McConnell,  Wm.     21.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Murphy,  John.     26.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Queal.  Richard.      18.     Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Rill,  George.     41.     Dec.  22,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster  out  of  Regt.     V. 

Rogers,  Samuel.     25.     Sept.  23,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Truesdell,  George.  18.  Aug.  27,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Wadhams,  Sidney.  25.  Sept.  5,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Weeks,  Timothy  R.     22.     Aug.  26,  '61 — April  30,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Wood,  Robert.  26.  Feb.  21,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  June  28, 

'65.  S. 

MUSICIANS. 

Johnson,  David.     17.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    V. 
Raynor,  James  H.     17.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Brown,  Wm.     18.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

WAGONER. 
Howell,  George.     20.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  r,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

PRIVATES. 

Amon,  Henry.     20.     Sept.  8,  '61 — Aug.  9,  '65.     Disability.     V.V. 
Alexander,  Wm.     44.     Sept.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Ansel,  John.     30.     Sept.  n,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Angel,  Daniel.     20.     Aug.  6,  '62 — June  26,  '65.  Wounded  at  Olustee.      V. 

Allen,  Chas.     48.     Aug.  23,  '61 — Sept.  4,  '63.     Died  a  prisoner  at  Ft.  Church.     V. 
Bragg,  Henry.     24.     May,  '62 — May  6,  '65.      Disability.      Wounded   and    taken 

prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

Burns,  James.     23.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bower,  Frederick.     22.     Jan.  19,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bath,  George.     37.     Oct.  24,  '61 — October  24,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
Buckhardt,  Martin.     40.     Oct.  24,  '61 — Oct.  24,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Brassel,  David.     20.     Sept.  6,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.  fcV. 
Birdsall,  James.     16.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD. 

COMPANY   B— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Burns,  Chas.     20.     Sept.  26,  '64 — June  26,  '65.  S. 

Boyle,  James.     35.     Jan.  19,  '65 — May  5,  '65.  S. 

Bragg,  Cornelius.  Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at 

Deep  Bottom.  V. 

Brennan,  Edward.  42.  Aug.  15,  '61 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve 

Corps.  V. 

Burns,  Edward.    42.    Aug.  4,  '61 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.    V. 

Buckley,  Thos.  19.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Aug.  23,  '63.  Died  of  disease  on  St.  Helena 
Island.  V. 

Bone,  Peter.     31.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.     V. 

Casper,  Conrad.  25.  Oct.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i,  65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded; 
at  Olustee.  S. 

Charbonnault,  Francis.    30.     Feb.  21,  '65. — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 

Cusick,  John.      19.     Jan.  n,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Coutant,  Cornelius.     23.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 

Corry,  James.     27.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 

Conover,  John.     27.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 

Colgan,  Hugh.     41.     Aug.  28,  '61 — April  30,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Coffee,  Martin.  24.  Aug.  23,  '61 — Oct.  21,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Taken  pris 
oner  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Coffee,  John.  19.  Aug.  27,  '61 — Oct.  21,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Taken  pris 
oner  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Colgan,  Philip.     43.     Jan.  7,  '64— Dec.  8,  '64.     Disability.     S. 

Clegg,  James.     32.     Dec.  21,  '61 — Dec.  21,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Carew,  Michael.  28.  April  21,  '62 — April  21,  '65.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Deep  Bottom.  V. 

Curtis,  John.     28.     Aug.  29,  '61  —  Supposed  killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Cook,  John.     21.     Aug.  16, '61 —  Missing,  Washington,  Sept.  18, '61.     V. 

Coombs,  Oscar.    30.    Feb.  26, '65 —  Missing,  Cox's  Ferry,  Mar.  21, '65.   S. 

Dougherty,  John.     20.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Diens,  Christopher.     21.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Drake,  Leroy.      18.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt,     S. 

Daley,  Henry.     20.     Mar.  25,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Davenport,  John.      19.     Jan.  26,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Dishman,  Richard.     19.     Sept.  21,  '64 — June  26,  '65.  S. 

Dunning,  Smith.  39.  Oct.  i,  '63 — June  12,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.  S. 

Daley,  Wm.  18.  Jan.  9,  '64 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Petersburg.  S. 

Dougherty,  Thomas.  35.  Sept.  3,  '61 — Mar.  9,  '64.  Died  a  prisoner  at  Rich 
mond.  V. 

Donaghey,  John.  28.  Aug.  15,  '61 — Feb.  19,  '64.  Died  a  prisoner  at  Rich 
mond;  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Dyckman,  Daniel  J.  19.  Aug.  20,  '61 —  Supposed  killed  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner.  V. 

Davis,  Henry.     32.     Jan.  5,  '64 —  Supposed  killed  at  Olustee.     S. 

Dunlap,  Edward.     23.     Sept.  2,  '63 —  Missing  from  Hilton  Head.     V. 

Dolan,  Peter.    20.     Jan.  II, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh.    Aug.  2, '65.    S. 

Ethinhausen,  Balthazar.     28.     Mar.  19,  '62— Mar.  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Fitterley,  Westerley.     19.     Feb.  18,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Francis,  Charles  S.     22.     Mar.  10,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Freeman,  Martin.     26.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Fox,  George.     24.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Flannigan,  John.  20.  Aug.  27,  '61— July  28,  '64.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Olustee.  V. 


258  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  B— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Frederick,  Ernst.     32.     June  2,  '62 — Jan.  2,  '65.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Foley,  Francis.    20.    Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing,  Wilmington,  Feb.  22,  '65.  S. 

Finley,  John.     33.     Sept.  2,  '63 —  Missing  from  Hospital,  Sept.  28,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

Glenman,  Thomas.     20.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gloyer,  Glaus.     23.     Jan.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gordon,  George.     25.     Jan.  n,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Gorr,  Wm.     21.     Jan.  19,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Gallagher,  Dudley.    35.   Aug.  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.   Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Gaynor,  Geo.  W.     43.     Aug.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Goebel,  John.     25.     April  30,  '62 — May  31,  '65.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Harvey,  Richard.     18.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Helt,  Jacob  Z.     24.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Horton,     Azariah.      18.      Jan.    12,   '64 — Aug.    8,  '64.      Died    at    Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Cold  Harbor.     S. 
Hoffman,    Fred'k.     38.     Sept.    2,  '63 —  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     S. 

Holiher,  John.     34.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hable,  Fred'k.     25.     Jan.  20,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hazleton,  Josiah.     20.    Mar.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hall,  Isaac.     18.     Jan.  23,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Harnacker.  Valentine.     25.    Jan.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
Haines,  Willard.      17.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Johnson,  Wallace.     27.     Jan.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Johnson,  Wm.  W.     24.     Mar.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Jaquot,  Nicholas.    45.    Mar.  31,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

ackson,  Alexander.    40.    Aug.  5,  '61 — September  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
acot,  Philip.     20.     April  23,  '62— April  24,  '65.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
ohnson,  Wm.     31.     Sept.  4,  '63.     April  18,  '64,  Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
ess,  Wm.     18.    Sept.  10,  '61 — July  12,  '62.    Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pulaski.    V. 
Jones,  Chas.  P.      19.     Aug.    23,    '61 — May  7,  '64.     Killed  in    action  at  Chester 

Heights.     V.V. 

Klein,  Karl.     23.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Xein,  Wm.  R.     29.     Mar.  26,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Kapps,  Joseph.     44.     Feb.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt     V. 
Kenny,  David.     21.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Keisler,    Paul.     24.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  28,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Klingheiser.  Albert.     20.     Oct.  2,  '63 — Feb.  15,  '64.     Died  at  Barber's  Sta.     S. 
Kimble,  Alfred.     20.     Mar.  19,  '65 —  Missing,  Raleigh,  June  15,   '65.     S. 

Lynt,  Jacob.     44.     Oct.   25,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     S. 

Linderman,  August.     20.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S 
'Lott,  August.     26.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lewis,  Henry.     21.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  r,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lawless,    Patrick.      44.     Aug.  21,  '61 —  Trans,   to   Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.     V. 

Miller,  Enoch.     23.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Miller,  Conrad.     23.     Jan.  20,  '64 — July  19,  '65.      Disability.     S. 
Miller,  Gottleib.     27.     Jan.  21,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McCarty,  Daniel.     44.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i.  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
McCarthy,  Jeremiah.     27.      Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Mclntyre,  Cornelius.     28.      Mar.  15,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Marks,  John.     26.      Feb.  10,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD.  259 

COMPANY  B— Continued. 

PRI  VAXES — Continued, 
Murray,  Joseph.    28.   Oct.  3,  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     S. 

Murray,  John.  22.  Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Minie.  Conrad.  20.  Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Michlin,  Chas.  25.  Feb.  21,  '65 — July  19,  '65.  S. 

Marks,  John  M.     23.      Sept.  4,  '61 — Mar.  31,  '62.      Disability.     V. 
Morgan,  Patrick.     44.     Aug.  5,  '61 — April  30,  '62.      Disability.     V. 
Monaghan,  Thos.     24.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  16, '64.     Exp'n-of  service.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

McCarthy,  Thos.     18.     Jan.  19,  '65— July  n,  '65.  S. 

McDonough,  James.     27.     Sept.  26,  '64 — Jan.  26,  '65.  S. 

McGarry,    Thos.     40.     Aug.    19,  '61 — July    18,    '63.      Killed    in    action    at    Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Madden,    Daniel.      18.     Aug.    15,    '61 — July  18,    '63.      Killed    in  action  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
McDonnell,  Owen.     22.     Aug.    25,  '61 — June   2,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Cold 

Harbor.      V. 
Maxwell,   Robert.       27.      Sept.    14,  '61 — May  30,   '64.      Died  at  Andersonville. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner,  and  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Madden,  Thos.     27.     Mar.  19,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65.     S. 

Murray,  John.     25.     June  20,  '64 —  Missing,  Wilmington,  Mar.  3,  '65.    S. 

Norton,  Frederick.     33.     Feb.  25,  '65 —  Missing,  Raleigh,  April  2,  '65.    S. 

Nugent.  John.     35.     Sept.  2,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     S. 

Nixon,  John.      28.     Aug.  27,  '61— Sept.  28,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Norton,  John.      27.     Oct.  30,  '63 — Dec.  7,  '64.     Disability.     S. 
Nice,  John.   32.   Aug.  27,  '61 — May  16,  '64.   Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's  Bluff.   V. 
Noonan,    John.     44.     Sept.  i,  '63 — May  16,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 

Bluff.   D. 

Owen,  Wm.  J.     26.     Aug.  14, '61 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.    V. 

Poulston,  Wm.  E.     20.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Peterson,    Andrew.       23.       Oct.    21,    '63 — Feb.    20,    '64.       Killed    in  action    at 

Olustee.      D.  • 

Pettyhoult,  Herman.     21.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Aug.  n,  '65.      Died  of  disease  at  Ra 
leigh.     S. 

Roberts,  Robert.     35.      Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Robertson,  George.     23.      Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Rahn,  Frank.     42.     Feb.  16,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Riley,  Patrick.     24.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Rile'y,  Luke  W.     32.     Sept.  7,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Risdon,  Levi  B.      18.     July  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Reinwald,  Adrian.     26.     Sept.  i,   '63 — June    16,  '65 —  Wounded    and 

taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Rebereicht,  Carl.     25.     Aug.  26,  '61 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Ryan,  John.      18.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Oct.  23,  '63.     Trans,  to  Signal  Corps.     V. 
Reignolds,  Chas.     21.     Oct.  23,  '63 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.   D. 
Scott,  Charles.     21.     Sept.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

Staafer,  Carl  L.  A.      19.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Snyder,  Charles.     18.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Stage,  John  H.     22.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Sherwood,  John  R.     22.     Jan.  4,  '64 — May  5,  '65. 
Sherwood,  Edwin  F.     19.     Jan.  20,  '65 — June  27,  '65.  S 


26O  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Schmidt,  Edward.     19.     Dec.  19,  '61 — Sept.  27,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
Smyth,  Daniel  B.    18.    Aug.  28,  '61 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Stephenson,  John.     See  Prin.  Mus'n,  Roster  of  Non.-Com.  Staff.     V. 
Silvers,    Joseph    H.     24.     Aug.   28,   '61 —  Trans,    to  Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.     Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Smith,   Wilbur  F.     22.      Sept.  8,  '61 — June  i,  '62.      Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pu- 

laski.     V. 

Silcocks,  Isaac.     18.     Sept.  14,  '61 — Aug.   16,  '64.     Killed    in   action   at  Straw 
berry  Plains.      Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.      V. 
Smith,  Andrew.     41.     Aug.  16,  '61 —  Missing  from   furlough    to    New 

York,  April  30,  '64.     V.V. 

Stenson,  John.    21.    Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  10,  '65.    S, 

Stenkhoff,  Andrew.     29.     Feb.  21,  '65 —  Missing,  Raleigh,  July  id,  '65    S. 

Saunders,  Andrew.      39.      Feb.   21,  '65 —  Missing   from    Raleigh,  Aug. 

18,  '65.   S. 
Sumerbarr,  Peter  V.      35.      Feb.  21,  '65 —  Missing   from  Cox's  Ferry, 

Mar.  27,  '65.     S. 

Travis,  Daniel  J.     25.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Aug.  30,  '65.  V.V. 

Toner,  Peter.  Wounded  at  Olustee  and  Chester  Heights.     V. 

Travis,  Chas.    25.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Tiernan,  Thos.     35.     Sept.  4,  '63.     April  18,  '64,  Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
Truesdale,    James.      18.     Aug.   6,   '61 —  Missing  from  furlough   to  New 

York,  May  8,  '65.     V.V. 

Wise,  John.     20.      Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Watkins,  Wm.  W.   "31.     Aug.  8,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Williams,  Austin  F.     25.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65,      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Williams,  Frank.     26.     Sept.  i,  '63 — Jan.  19,  '64.  Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Wilday,  John.     18.     Sept.   5,   '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Wallace,  James.     29.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Aug.  '65.  Wounded  at 

Olustee  and  Strawberry  Plains.     V. 
Weishert,  Adam.    43.    Aug.  u,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Whalen,  John.     28.     Feb.  21,  '65— June  23,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Wolston,  Alfred.     26.     Oct.  21,  '63.     April  18,  '64.  Trans  to  Navy.     V. 
Williams,  Isaac.     26.     Oct.  21,  '63.    April  18,  '64,  Trans,  to  Navy.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Weber,  Henry  J.     38.    Aug.  i, '61 —  Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  V. 

Weiss,  Henry.      39.     Jan.  18,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '64.      Died  at  Hampton.     Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 


ROSl'ER  AND  RECORD.  26 1 


COMPANY  C. 

CAPTAINS. 

Farrell,  James.     37.     July  u,  '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wagner, 

Capt.  Sept.  10,  '61.     V. 
Moser,  Saml.  H.     24.     Aug.  I,  '61 — May  16,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 

Bluff.      Promoted   from  Sergt.-Maj.  to  2d  Lieut.  Co.  A  Jan.   18,  '62;  to  1st 

Lieut.  Jan.  26,  '63;  Capt.  Aug.  28,  '63.      Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
Taylor,  Jos.  R.     21.     April  7,  '62 — Nov.  3,   '64.      Discharged.      Promoted  from 

Private  Co.  F  to  Quartermaster  Sergt. ;  to  2d  Lieut.  Mar.  7.  '63;  ist  Lieut. 

Co.  E  July  18,  '63;  Capt.   May  26,  '64.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner,  Olustee, 

Drewry's  Bluff,  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Ferguson,   Asa   H.     38.     Aug.    5,  '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out  of   Regt.     2d 

Lieut.  Co.  A  Aug.  31,  '61;  Capt.  Co.  I  Jan.  18,  '62.      Resigned    Apr.  5,  '64. 

Re-commissioned,  Sept.  13,  '64.     V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Macardle,  George.  24.  July  20,  '61 — Apr.  29,  '62.  Resigned,  ist  Lieut.  Sept. 
10.  '61.  V. 

Hatfield,  Townsend  L.  21.  Aug.  I, '6r— Jan.  20, '64.  Commissioned  ist  Lieut. 
Signal  Corps.  2d  Lieut.  Sept.  10,  '61;  ist  Lieut.  Dec.  29,  '62;  Capt.  Aug. 
28,  '63  (declined).  V. 

Edwards,  Robert  S.  24.  Aug.  i,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  2d  Lieut.  Co.  E  Aug.  21,  '61;  ist  Lieut.  Apr.  29,  '62.  V. 

Ingraham,  Aaron  H.  22.  Aug.  20,  '61 — June  i,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Cold 
Harbor.  Promoted  from  Corpl.  Co.  G  to  Quartermaster  Sergt. ;  to  2d  Lieut. 
Jan.  26,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  Aug.  28,  '63.  V. 

Edwards,  Roger.  21.  Aug.  i, '61 — Sept.  12, '64.  Discharged.  Promoted  from 
ist  Sergt.  Co.  H  to  2d  Lieut.  July  18,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  Mar.  8,  '64.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Drewry's  Bluff.  V. 

Himrod,  James.  25.  Aug.  24,  '61 — Oct.  4,  '64.  Dismissed.  Promoted  from 
ist  Sergt.  Co.  A.  to  2d  Lieut.  Apr.  4,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  Aug.  16,  '64  (not  mus 
tered).  V.V. 

Lang,  Henry.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  D. 

Roys,  Chas.  H.  24.  Oct.  14,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  ist  Lieut. 
Oct.  14,  '64;  Brevet  Capt.  and  Maj.  U.  S.  V.  Trans,  from  H7th  N.  Y.  V.  V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Acker,  Henry      See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

Barney,  Edwin  J.  18.  Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  Private  of  Co.  A  to  Quartermaster  Sergt.;  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  i, 
'65.  V.V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Schultz,  Harman  C.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  A. 

Vanderbilt,  John.     38.     Aug.  25, '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Nevin,  Samuel.     24.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

18 


262  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  C— Continued. 

SERGEANTS. 

Charters,  John.  19.  Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 
Cropsey,  George  H.  19.  Aug.  6,  '61 — Mar.  13,  '65.  Died  at  Wilmington. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     Taken  prisoner  in  front  of  Petersburg.     V.V. 
Frankenberg,  Sanford  H.     23.     Aug.  25,  '61— June  8,  '64.     Disability.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Hart,  Patrick.     19.     Aug.  26,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Lawrence,  John  T.     20.     Sept.  9,  '61 — July  10,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Morris 

Island.     V. 
Mack,  Michael.     23.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Nesbitt,  James  A.     18.     Aug.  20,  '62— Aug.  18,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     Taken 

prisoner  on  Morris  Island.     V. 

O'Brien,  Jeremiah.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

O'Brien,  Patrick.     23.     Sept.  3,  '61.  Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Richardson,  Wm.      19.     Aug.  9,  '61.      Died  at  home  on  furlough.     Wounded  at 

Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V. 
Williams,  George.     19.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

CORPORALS. 

Bender,  Oscar  N.     20.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Oct.  13, '63.     Trans,  to  Signal  Corps.     V. 
Bond,  Lorenzo.     23.     Sept.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.      Wounded 

at  Morris  Island  and  Olustee.     V. 
Britton,  Dayton.     42.     Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Davis,  Theodore.     37.     Aug.  24.  '61 — Sept.  '65.     Died  a  prisoner.     Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     Taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Groser,  Sidney    A.     21.     Sept.    2,   '61 — Jan.   2,   '63.     Commissioned    2d    Lieut. 

I40th  N.  Y.  V.     V. 
Groser,  Thomas.     21.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept. '65.     Disability.     Wounded  and  taken 

prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Harrington,  Thos.     34.     Aug.  30, '61 — Sept.  20, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Hulburt,  Joseph  B.  24.  Jan.  n,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V. 
Lawrence,  Edward.  18.  Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Mason,  John.  44.  Sept.  5,  '61 — June  2,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
O'Brien,  John.     24.     Feb.  19, '63— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Plummer,  John  W.     33.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Rost,  Benjamin.     37.      Feb.  15,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
'Smith,  Phillip.     24.     Feb.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Trainer,  John.     21.     Oct.  30,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Tuttle,  George  H.     21.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Jan.  28,  '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.     V. 
Welch,  John  P.     19.     Aug.   7,  '61 — July  16,  '62.     Commissioned   Assistant-En 
gineer  in  Navy.     V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Raymond,  Geo.  W.     16.     Aug.  2,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Riley,  John.     13.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Hibson,  Joseph  C.     19.     Aug.  21,  '61 — July  10,  '64.     Disability.     Wounded  at 
Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

WAGONER. 
Henry,  Jacob.     34.     Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 


FOSTER  AND  RECORD.  263 

COMPANY  C— Continued. 

PRIVATES. 

Albert,  Charles.     28.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Aldridge,  Henry.     26.     Feb.  21.  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Bennett,  Thomas.  19.  Aug.  6,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Buckley,  Thomas.  19.  Aug.  6,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner,  y. 

Belts,  Daniel  C.  20.  Aug.  6, '61 — Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Morris  Island.  V.V. 

Barrett,  Thomas.  27.  Sept.  2,  '61 — Aug.  12,  '64.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Olustee.  V. 

Burns,  John.      19.     Aug.  20,  J6i — Aug.  12,  '64.     Disability.     V. 

Boyle,  Bernard.  40.  Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft  Wagner.  V. 

Bertino,  Jules.     31.     Jan.  27,  '62 — Mar.  9,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Boyce,  Dennis.      18.     Mar.  3,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Beith,  James.     See  Roster  of  Co.  I. 

Bondv,  John  J.  19.  Aug.  21,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wagner. 
V. 

Becker,  George    P.     See  Commissary  Sergt.,  Roster  Non-Com.  Staff. 

Buck,  George  H.  18.  Jan.  28,  '64 — June  2,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Cold 
Harbor.  V. 

Buckley,  R.  D.      18.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Bauer,  Joseph.     26.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Ball,  John.     18.     Feb.  21, '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Brooks,  James.     23.     Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Burke,  James.      18.     Feb.  15,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Bennett,  Othello.     18.     Feb.  22,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Bush,  Louis.     40.     Jan.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 

Boyd,  Louis  A.     34.     Feb.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Bateman.  Marquis.      18.     Jan.  5,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Burkhardt,  Henry.      17.     "Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Brower,  William.     34.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Cassidy.  Bernard.  34.  Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Conery,    Edwin  W.     19.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Cox,  James.  29.  Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  at 
Olustee.  V. 

Case.  Thomas.     30.     Aug.  25,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Carroll,  Martin.  18.  Aug.  19.  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Olustee. 
Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Carroll,  William.     32.     Sept.  3,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.   V. 

Clougher,  Hugh.      19.     Jan.  20,  '65 — June  14,  '65.     Died  at  Raleigh.     S. 

Carroll,  Peter.  44.  Dec.  16,  '63 — Mar.  28,  '65.  Died  of  wounds  received  at 
Wilmington.  V. 

Crotty,  William.  35.  Aug.  24,  '61 — Aug.  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.  V. 

Corrigan,  John.  35.  Aug.  26,  '62 — Aug.  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action'  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.  V. 

Clark.  John.  30.  Oct.  25,  63 —  Missing;  supposed  killed  at  Sanderson, 

Fla.,  Feb.  12,  '64.  S. 

Cervelia,  Estermino.  29.  Nov.  27,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at 
Olustee.  V. 

Clancy,  James.  21.  Aug.  21,  '61 — May  14,  '65.  Wounded  and 

taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V.V. 

Conley,  Peter.     38.     Feb.  i,  '65 — Sept. '1,65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


264  FORTY-EIGH7^H  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY^  C— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Contimied. 

Casselman,  Allen  F.     18.     Jan.  2,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Dempsey,  Michael,  No.  I.     32.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Dec.  29,  '63.     Trans,    to   Invalid 

Corps.     Wounded  at  Morris  Island.     V. 

Danielson,  John  H.     34.     Aug.  30,  '61 — Nov.  13,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Dempsey,  Michael,  No.  2.     45.     Aug.  29,  '61 — May  5,  '65.  Wounded 

at  Morris  Island.     V.V. 
Dillion,    Patrick.     39.     Sept.    6,    '61 — June   i,    '64.      Killed    in    action    at    Cold 

Harbor.     V. 
Dalton,   Patrick.     41.     Aug.    26,  '61 — Mar.    n,  '62.     Drowned  in  Cooper  River, 

S.  C.     V. 

Davis,  George.      18.     Feb.  15,  '65 — May  8,  '65.     Died  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Daniels,  Mark,  Jr.     22.      Feb.   24,   '65 —  Missing   at   Raleigh,    Aug.    13, 

'65.     S. 

Damin,  Elijah.     21.     Mar.  24,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wound 
ed  at  Drevvry's  Bluff.     V. 

Dolan,  Michael.      19.     April  i,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Douglas,  John.     28.     Feb.  24,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Egger,  John.     26.     Oct.  24,  '61 — June  8,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
Edsell,  Charles.     27.     Feb.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Fenwick,    Peter.       21.      Sept.    9,    '61 — July   18,    '63.     Killed    in    action    at    Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 

Farrell,  William.     20.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Ford,  Alfred.     18.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Fryday,  Martin.     43.      Feb.  10,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Griffin,    James.      19.     Aug.    26,    '62 — June   2,   '65.  Wounded    at    Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 

Giles,  Andrew  S.     19.     Jan.  29,  '62 — June  2,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Gorman,  William.     24.     Aug,  29,  '61 — Jan.  26,  '64.     Trans,    to   Invalid    Corps. 

Wounded  at  Morris  Island.      V. 

Green,  Nelson.     25.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hart,  William.     40.     Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Chester  Heights.     V. 

Hayes,  Michaels  S.     22.     Sept.  i, '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Henderson,  James.     23.     Oct.  30,  '63 — Nov.  25,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
Hyranemus,  Zoble.     40.     Ncv.  15,  '61 — June  2,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Hoist,  Relo.     36.     Sept.  26,  '64 — May  16,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Headley,  Henry.     36.     Oct.  12,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hughes,  Robert.     32.     Mar.  20,  '62 — June  2,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Heine,  Rudolph.     32.     Sept.  26,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Holmes,  Lewis.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

Horton,  John.     23.     Oct.  30,  '63 — May  5,  '64.     Died  at  Hampton.     V. 
Hereinsker,  Dorio.     19.     May   8,  '62 — June    i,  '64.     Killed   in   action   at   Cold 

Harbor.     V. 
Harrison,  Edward.     35.     Jan.  20,  '64 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action   at   Olus- 

tee.     V. 
Herman,    Adam.       38.       Oct.    20,    '63  —  Sept.    i,    '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
Horten,    Andrew.      25.      Aug.   20,    '61  —  Sept.    i,    '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

Hutchinson,  James.     18.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hart,  James.     24.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Herrule,  Joseph.     26.     Mar.  i,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hopkins,  Aaron.     43.     Feb.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Jayne,  Pembroke.     43.  Feb.  28.   '65 — Sept.   i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  26$ 

COMPANY  C— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Continued. 

Kane,  Peter.     33.     Aug.  16,  '61 — May  13,  '65.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

Kalligan,  John.  30.  April  12,  '62 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Deep  Bottom.  V. 

Kane,  Daniel.  24.  Sept.  9,  '61 — July  14,  '63.  Killed  in  the  trenches  on  Mor 
ris  Island.  V. 

King,  Amasa.  18.  Sept.  13,  '61— Sept.  5,  '63.  Died  a  prisoner,  of  wounds 
received  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Knabe,  Ernest.  19.  Mar.  24,  '62— June  28,  '64.  Died  at  Andersonville. 
Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  V. 

Kaylor,  W.  H.     19.     Jan.  28,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.       Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 

Kopp,  Mathias.     31.     Jan.  20,  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Kelly,   John.      30.      Feb.    14,   '65 — Sept.    i.   '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Kent,  Phillip.      18.     Jan.  27,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Kiernan,  James.     22.     Mar.  24,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Killkenny,  Francis.  23.  Aug.  24,  '61 — April  18,  '65.  Trans,  to  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps.  Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.  V.V. 

Kenny,  Jacob.  32.  Aug.  30,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Leavy,  Dennis.  31.  Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Larkin,  Phillip.  32.  Aug.  20,  '62 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Lang,  Henry.  41.  Sept.  24,  '62 — Mar.  S,  '65.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  at 
Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.  V. 

Loyd,  John  Perry.  20.  Feb.  12,  '62 — Sept.  20,  64.  Wounded  at  Olustee 

and  Cold  Harbor.  V. 

Love,  John.  20.  Sept.  3,  '61  —  Aug.  26,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.  V. 

Laurie,  Edward.     22.     Jan.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Laudergen,  Azeel.     24.     Sept.  26,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

McCutcheon,  Geo.  W.  18.  Sept.  16,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.  V.V. 

Miller,  Daniel.  39.  Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

McVeigh,  Patrick.     26.     Aug.  24,  '61 — June  12.  '63.     Disability.     V. 

Mahoney,  Cornelius.  26.  Aug.  20,  '62 — Aug.  18,  '65.  Exp'n  of  service 
Wounded  at  Olustee.  V. 

Miller,  Frederick.  21.  Feb.  6,  '62 — Nov.  29,  '64.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.  V. 

McCully,  Henry.  21.  Nov.  16,  ?6i — Nov.  29,  '64.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.  V. 

McMahon,  Thos.,  No.  i.  24.  Aug.  9,  '61 — Jan.  26,  '64.  Trans,  to  Invalid 
Corps.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Mason,  William.  18.  Aug.  29,  '61 — May  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.  V. 

Marshall',  John  S.  45.  Sept.  15,  '62 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Munch,  Johann.  23.  Nov.  13,  '61 — May  7,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Chester 
Heights.  V. 

Muldrey,  Thos.  19.  Aug.  26,  '61 — June  2,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Cold 
Harbor.  V. 

McCormick,  John.  21.  Aug.  28,  '61 —  Missing  on  veteran  fur 

lough.  V.V. 

Murphy,  Henry  C.  20.  Aug.  ,27,  '61 —  Disability.  Wounded  at  Drewry's 

Bluff.  V.V. 


266         .       FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  C— Continued. 
P  RI  v  ATE  s —  Contin  tied. 

Murray,  Patrick.     25.     Sept.  10,  '61 —  Missing   from    hospital    Nov.    3, 

'64.     V. 

Mackey,  William.      18.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Morgan,  William  A.      18.     Jan.  13.  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Myers,  Ernst.     32.     Dec.  22,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Mayer,  Andrew.     23.     Jan.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Murphy,  John.     27.     Jan.  5,  '6.4 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Marrin,  Richard.     24.     Jan.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Mirlye,  James.     38.     Feb.  23.  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Mullins,  Francis.      18.      Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

McClellan,  Jas.  W.     31.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S.   • 

McCormack,  VVm.     27.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

McMahon,  Thos.,  No.  2.    22.    Feb.  20,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.   V. 

Neely,  |ohn   W.      19.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.   20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Nagle,  Thomas.     29.     Aug.  22,  '61 — June  2,  '65 —  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner.     V.V. 

Neff,  Valentine.     20.     Jan.  8,  '62 — Aug.  18,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Orsborne,  Wm.  S.     18.    Sept.  10,  '61 — May  16,  '64.    Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 
Bluff.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

O'Brien.  John.     34.     Aug.  27,  '62 — Apl.  15,  '65.     Died  at  Wilmington.    Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.      Rec'd  the  "Gillmore  Medal."     V. 

Owens,  Geo.  K.     34.      Feb.  n,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Parrott,  Thos.      18.     Aug.  24,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.  V. 

Purcell,  John.     27.      Feb.  14,  '65 — June  10,  '65.      Disability.     S. 

Pool,  William.     38.     July  19,  '64 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  May  9,  '65.      S. 

Pfhals,  Christian.     39.      Feb.  23,  '64  -Sept.  I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Rodgers,  Patrick.     31.     Sept.  3,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.      Wounded 
at  Olustee  and  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Ryan,    Tobias.     34.       Sept.    8,    '61 — Jan.    26,    '64.     Trans,    to    Invalid    Corps. 
Wounded  at  Morris  Island.     V. 

Riley,  George.     25.     Sept.    10,  '61 —  Missing  on  veteran  furlough,  Feb. 

6,  '64.  V.V. 

Ryan,  Michael.     24.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Ross,  Edward.      18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Reynolds.  Geo.  F.      18.     Mar.  8,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Raine,    Watson.     18.     Sept.    '61 — Aug.    '65.     Disability.     Wounded   at    Olustee 
and  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

Sullivan,  Dennis.     22.     Aug.   8, '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Sullivan,  Michael.    19.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Sturges,  Josiah.      18.     Aug.  27,  '61 — June  2,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner  and  Olustee.     V.V. 

Shannon,  Peter.     32.     Aug.   26,  '62 — June  2,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner.     V. 

Schmidt,  Philip  O.    33.    Mar.  28,  '62 — Mar.  28,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.   Wounded 
at  Olustee.    V. 

Schaffer,  Jacob.     25.     Sept.  29,  '64— June  2,  '65.  S. 

Smith,  John.     23.     Aug.  24, '61 — Jan.  26, '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.  -Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.     Rec'd  the  "Gillmore  Medal."     V. 

Smith,  John  A.      19.     Aug.  26,   '61 — July  18,  '63.      Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.     V. 

Sever,  Randolph.     29.     Oct.  30,  '63 —  Died  at  Andersonville.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 


FOSTER  AND  RECORD.  267 

COMPANY  C— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Continued. 

Saunders,  Johann.     34.     Mar.  25,  '62 — Aug.  16,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.     Wounded  at  Olustee.    V. 
Smith,    Richard.     24.      Oct.  28,  '63 —  Missing  at  Sanderson,  Fla.,  Feb. 

12,  '64.    S. 

Smith,  James.     24.     Feb.  14.  '65 —  Missing  at  Wilmington.     S. 

Snow,  Peter.     25.     Feb.  13,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  August,  '65.     S. 

Sawyer,  Chas.      18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   S. 
Shevlin,  Daniel.     20.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Setro,  Louis.     23.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
S,tout,  Frank.     18.    Jan.  13,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded  at 

Wilmington.     S. 

Shaw,  Christopher.     30.     Feb.  18,  '65 — July  31,  '65.  S. 

Siddon,  Henry.      18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Simpson,  Wm.     25.     Feb.  18,  '65 — July  15,  '65. 

States,  Alexander.     26.     Aug.  5,  '61 — July  15,  '62.  V. 

Travel,  John.     27.     Sept.  6,   '61— Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Tallman,  Henry.     22.     Oct.  23,  '63 — May  18,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
Terrins.  George.     27.     Apl.  8,  '62 — Apl.  8,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.    V. 
Thompson,  Saml.     34.     Dec.  14,  '63 — May  14,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.    V. 

Tobin,  Dennis.     20.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Tracy,  Thomas.      19.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Treen,  William.      18.     Jan.  2,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Treen,  John.      19.     Dec.  15,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.- 
Teter,  Isaac.      18.     Feb.  18,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65.     S. 

Vfrifer,  Valentine.     31.     Jan.  23,  '65 — July  17,  '65.     Died  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Westervelt,  Albert  B.     42.     Aug.  30,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.  V. 
Warner,  Isaac  J.     18.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Wood,  Edward  W.      18.     Aug.  20,  '62 — June  2,  '65.  V. 

Whitson,  Geo.     19.     Aug.  20,  '62 — June  2,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner 

and  Olustee.     V. 
Woodward,    R.    F.     38.      Aug.    26,    '61 — Oct.    26,  '61.      Trans,    to    2ist    Mass. 

Vols.    V. 

West,  Edward  W.     32.     Mar.  20,  '62 — Mar.  20,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Wilcox,  Franklin  L.     33.     Dec.  14,  '63 — May  14,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
Worden,  Adelbert.      18.     Jan.  19,  '65— July  17,  '65.     Disability.  S. 
Wilson,  George.     See  Roster  of  Co.  K. 
Wangerman,    Chas.     36.     Nov.    25,    '61 — May   4,    '64.      Died    in    Tallahassee. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.    V. 

White,  John.     28.     Feb.  14,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  9.  '65.    S. 

Workman,  John.      18.     Feb.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
White,  William.      18.     Feb.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
Wood,  John  H.     20.     Feb.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
Watson,  William.     18.     Feb.  n,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
Wilson,  Frank.      18.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Young,  John.     24.      Feb.  15,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Youngs,  Joseph  A.     22.     Aug.  20,  '61— Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.      V. 


268  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   K  S.  VOLS. 


COMPANY  D. 

CAPTAINS. 

Knowles,  Daniel  C.  26.  July  13,  '61 — June  30,  '62.  Resigned,  disability. 
Captain  Aug.  21,  '61.  V. 

Paxson,  James  O.  26.  July  24,  '61 — July  31,  '63.  Died  of  wounds  received  at 
Ft.  Wagner.  First  Lieutenant  Aug.  21,  '61  ;  Captain  July  18,  '62.  V. 

Carlton,  William  J.  23.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Nov.  13,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Co.  H  Dec.  19.  '61;  ist  Lieut.  Co.  D  Feb.  5, 
'63  ;  Capt.  July  31,  '63.  Brevet  Major  N.  Y.  V.  V. 

Tantum,  John  M.  23.  July  27,  '61 — Aug.  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.  Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  June  30,  '62  ;  ist  Lieut. 
May  22,  '63  ;  Capt.  July  6,  '64  (not  mustered).  V. 

Lippincott,  Adon.  22.  Aug.  i,  '61 — April  16.  '65.  Discharged,  disability.  Pro 
moted  from  ist  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Co.  B  July  18,  '63  :  ist  Lieut.  Co.  D  May 
16,  '64  ;  Capt.  Nov.  3,  '64.  Brevet  Major  U.  S.  V.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner,  Olustee,  Cold  Harbor,  and  Ft.  Fisher.  V. 

Lang,  Henry.  35.  Dec.  12,  '62— Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Promoted 
from  Sergt.  Co.  C  to  ist  Lieut.  Oct.  4,  '64  ;  Capt.  Jan.  i,  '65.  Wounded  and 
taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Bodine,  John.  29.  July  26,  '61 — Jan.  21,  '63.  Discharged.  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  27, 
'61  ;  ist  Lieut.  June  30,  '62.  V. 

Tuttle,  William  E.  18.  Aug.  25,  '61 — Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  F  to  ist  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V.V. 

Haney,  James.  22.  July  26,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Promoted 
from  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65  ;  ist  Lieut.  April  13,  '65  (not  mustered). 
Wounded  at  Strawberry  Plains.  V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

McDougall,  William.  21.  July  29,  '61— July  30,  '64.  Killed  at  Petersburg 
mine  explosion.  Promoted  from  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  July  15,  '64  (not  mus 
tered).  V.V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 
Patterson,  Geo.  P.     22.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Nov.  6, '63.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Ware,  David  H.     18.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

SERGEANTS. 
Anderson,    Peter    F.     23.     July   26,   '61 — Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V.V. 

Ayres,  Marcellus.     29.     July  27,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '62.     Disability.    V. 
Abbott,  John  G.     22.     July  30,  '61 — Aug.  7,  '63.     Died   of  wounds  received  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Brash,  Adam.     21.     March  13,  '62— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Crammer,   Geo.   W.     19.     Aug.   5,   '61 — July  18,  '63.      Killed  in    action  at    Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Graham,  John  H.     19.     Sept.  2,  '61— June  30,   '64.       Killed  in  rifle-pits    before 

Petersburg.     V. 
Harbison,   Chris.   H.     25.     Aug.   25,  '61 — Sept.   5,   '64.     Expiration  of    service. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Hendricks,  John.     26.  — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

McCreaf,   Chas.   M.       21.       Aug.   20,   '61 — Sept.  i,   '65.       Muster-out    of    Regt 

Wounded  at  Strawberry  Plains  and  Wilmington.     V.V. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD.  269 

COMPANY  D— Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

McGuigan,  Arthur.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 

Pimm,   Levi.     28.     Aug.   19,   '61 — Aug.    16,  '64.      Killed  at    Strawberry  Plains. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  in  the  field,  Va.     V.V. 
Porch,  William  H.     19.     July  24,  '61 — June  i,   '64.      Killed    in    action   at    Cold 

Harbor.     Color  Sergeant.     V. 
Speeler,  Henry  A.     18.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Oct.  4,  '63.    Commissioned  ist  Lieut.  35th 

N.  J.  Vols.     Capt.  April  12,  '65.       V. 

CORPORALS. 

Barton,  George.     22.     Feb.  25,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Chester,  William  C.     23.     July  24,  '61 — July  18,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Cole,  Aaron.     23.     Aug.   i,   '61 — Jan.   25,  '64.     Transferred    to    Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Morris  Is.     V. 
Church,  Stephen  O.     19.     Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  7,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Taken 

prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Cottrell,  John  D.     22.     Aug.  22,  '61 — April  12,  '65.     Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve 

Corps.     Wounded  in  the  field,  Va.     V.V. 
Duffle,  Stacy  K.     21.     Aug.  i,  '61 — July  31,  '63.     Died  of  wounds  received  on 

Morris  Is.     V. 

Doering,  John.     28.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.    In  Regi 
mental  Band.     V.V. 
De  Camp,   John    C.      28.     Aug.   24,    '61 — Sept.    i,    '65.      Muster-out   of    Regt. 

Wounded  on  Morris  Is.  and  Chester  Heights.     V.V. 

Jones,  Robert.     28.     Sept.  2,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McCullough,  Wm.   H.      16.     Sept.   2,   '61 — May  12,  '65.     Disability.      Wounded 

at  Strawberry  Plains.     V.V. 

Owen,  William.      18.     Aug.  13,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Parkin,  Paul.      19.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Styles,  Barclay  B.     20.      Aug.  26,  '61 — May  27,  '65.    Disability.    Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner  and  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Strawberry  Plains.      V.V. 
Smedley,  John.      19.     Jan.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Schneider,  Louis.     30.    Jan.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Smith,  Charles.    22.     Feb.  21, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh  Aug.  2, '65.    S. 

Wagner,  Oscar.     32.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Woodside,  John  A.    23.     Sept.  6,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Bennett,  Thomas.      16.    Aug.  26,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Murther,  James.      16.     Aug.  3,  '61 — Aug.  29,  '64.       Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

in  the  field,  Va.     V. 
White,    Thomas    M.     24.      Aug.    26,   '61 — Sept.     i,    '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

WAGONERS. 

Croasdale,  Robt.  R.     31.      Aug.  15,  '6r— Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Howell    Caleb  H.      19.     Aug.  19,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 


270  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  D— Continued. 

PRIVATES. 

Allen,  Enoch.     19.     Sept.  2,  '61 — May  19,  '64.     Killed  in  action  near  Hatcher's 

Run.     V. 

Applegate,  Jacob.     19.     Sept.  6,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Anderson,  John.     21.    Aug.  31,  '63 — Sept.  I,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     S. 

Algiers,  James.      18.     Mar.  7,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bechtel,  .Joseph    B.     18.     July    26,  '61 — July   18,  '63.     Killed   in   action   at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Bosworth,  Daniel.     22.     July    30,    '61— July    18,  '63.      Killed    in    action    at    Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Burroughs,  Abram   L.     24.     Aug.    19,    '61 — June    16,    '63.      Died  of  disease  at 

Ft.  Pulaski.     V. 
Bowers,  Elijah.      19.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

Brewer,  Christopher.     27.     Sept.  16,  '61 — May  5.  64.     Disability.     V.V. 
Baitty,  William.     23.      Mar.    25,  '62 —  Missing  from   veteran  furlough, 

May  30,  '64.     V.V. 

Bowden,  lames  T.     19.    Sept.  12.   '62 — Jan.  25,  '64.    Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.   V. 
Bailey,  Thomas.     21.     Oct.  19.  '63 — Apr.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
Bennett,  Edward.     40.     Sept.  16.  '64.     June  13,  '65.      Disability.     V. 
Burns,  Thomas.     25.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Brandt,  Alois.     34.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  R<>gt.     S. 
Blees,  Nicholas.     30.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bogher,  Louis.     27.     Jan.  23.  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Burt,  Allen.     29.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bond,  John.     21.     Feb.   21,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  2.  '65.    S. 

Brean,  Patrick.      18.      Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Brennan,  William.     23.      Feb.    23,  '65 — June   9,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Blackwell,  John  F.     21.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Croasdale,    Edward    H.     21.     Aug.    11,   '61 — Aug.    19.    '64.     Exp'n   of  service. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Chester  Heights.     V. 
Croasdale,  Jonas  P.      19.     Aug.  n.  '61 — Jan.  25,  '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Morris  Island.     V. 
Clifton,  Daniel  H.     20.     Aug.  19,    '61 — July   18,    '63.      Killed   in  action    at   Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 
Cole,  Charles  M.     25.     Aug.    20,  '61 — Aug.  3,  '63.     Died  of  wounds  received  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Clark,  John.      19.     Aug.    24,  '61 — June    16,  '64.      Died  at  Andersonville.     Taken 

prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Curtis,    Edwin    S.     18.     Sept.     i,    '61 — Sept.    16,    '63.     Appointed   to    Military 

Academy,  West  Point.     V. 

Corlies,  David.    18.    Sept.  9,  '61 — July  21,  '62.    Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pulaski.  -V. 
Conover,  John  N.     20.     Sept.   9,  '61 — July    5,  '62.     Died  of  disease    at  Ft.  Pu 
laski.     V. 

Casazza,  Carlo.    18.    Nov.  30,  '61 —  Missing  from  veteran  furlough.    V.V. 

Costello,  James.     20.     Sept.  24,  '64 — June  13,  '65     Disability.     S. 
Carr,  Philip.     34.     Jan.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '6.5.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Calligan,  John.     3^.     Jan.  24.  '65 — July  15,  '65.      Disability.     S. 
Drake.  John.     22.     July  30,  '61 — June  13, '65.    Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 
Deming,  Henry.     20.    Aug.  31,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Chester  Heights.     S. 
Douglass,  Samuel  G.    26.      Dec.    16,  '63— -Aug.    30,  '64.    Died  at    Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.    S. 


ROSTEK  AND  RECORD,  2/1 

COMPANY   D— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Doctery,  Jacob.     27.      Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Denny,  Michael.      19.     Mar.  9,  '65— Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Donnahey,  Jesse.     40.     Mar.  30,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Emmons,  Dallas.     See  Wagoner,  Roster  of  Co.  G. 

Emmons.  Conover.  22.  Sept.  6,  '61 —  Disability.  Wounded  at  Olustee 

and  Cold  Harbor.  V.V. 

Ellis,  Samuel.  18.  Oct.  19,  '63 — April  21,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Olus 
tee.  S. 

Fielder,  Francis  A.     20.     Aug.  23,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 

Fitch,  John  H.  24.  Sept.  3,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  In  regi 
mental  band.  V. 

Farrell,  James.  30.  Oct.  19,  '63 —  Missing  from  hospital  at  Baltimore. 

Wounded  at  Olustee  and  Chester  Heights.  S. 

Flynn,  Lawrence.     44.     Nov.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Fields,  Julius.  19.  Sept.  23,  '64 — May  12,  '65.  Died  of  wounds.  Wounded 
at  Chester  Heights  and  Wilmington.  S. 

Feierabend,  Egnaz.     38.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   S. 

Flannigan,  Morris.     42.     Mar.  4,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   S. 

Giddis,  Charles  J.     See  Wagoner,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

Grimm,  Joseph.  38.  Apl.  10,  '62 — June,  '64.  Died  at  Andersonville.  Wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  V. 

Gunn,  Charles  VV.     31.     Sept.  i,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 

Green,  Henry.  31.  Sept.  i,  '63 — May  19,  '64.  Died  at  Andersonville.  Wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  S. 

Graft,  Benedict.  29.  Oct.  19, '63 — July  21, '64.  Died  at  Andersonville.  Wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  S. 

Geller,  Matthias.  27.  Oct.  19,  '63 — June  28,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  in 
front  of  Petersburg.  S. 

Gardiner,  William.  34.  Oct.  19,  '63 — May  8,  '64.  Died  of  wounds^  rec'd  at 
Chester  Heights.  Wounded  at  Olustee. 

Gardner,  Peter.     38.     Jan.. 9,  '65 — June  16,  '65.     Disability.     S. 

Gallagher,  Hugh.     20.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 

Gorman,  Patrick.     21.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of. Regt.     S. 

Gogher,  Martin.  25.  Jan.  24,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  17, 

'65.  S. 

Goodwin,  Charles.     18.     Feb.  15,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Hastings,  Edward.     See  Principal  Musician,  Roster  of  Non-Com.  Staff. 

Howell,  William  J.  19.  Aug.  19,  '61 — Aug.  20,  '63.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Hillerman,  John  H.      18.     Aug.  25,  '61— Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Herbert,  ]ames  S.  19.  Sept.  4,  '61 — May  27,  '62.  Died  of  disease  on  Daw- 
fuskie  Is.  V. 

Hartman,  Peter.     29.     May  25,  '62— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Huber,  John.     42.     Sept.  2,  '63 —  Missing  on  retreat  from  Olustee.     S. 

Hill,  John.     30.     Sept.  2,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 

Hans,  Peter.  22.  Oct.  19,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.  Trans,  to  Navy.  Wounded  at 
Olustee.  S. 

Higgins,  Patrick.  19.  Oct.  20,  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  S. 

Huth,  Herman.     30.     Jan.  23,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Hill,  Ezra.     19.      Feb.  22,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Harris,  Clark.     18.     Mar.  S,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   S. 

Hinds,  George.     31.     Mar.  19,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Jones,  Thomas.  22.  Aug.  4,  '61 —  Disability.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner  (arm  amputated).  V. 


2/2  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    N.  Y.   S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  D— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Jones,  William.     18.     Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Jolet,  Henry.  40.  Apl.  19.  '62 — May  15,  '65.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  at 
Olustee.  V. 

Jansen,  Thomas.     32.     Aug.  31,  '63— Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 

Johnson,  John.     20.     Aug.  31,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 

Johnson,  William.     34.     Oct.  13,  '63 — July  19,  '65.     Disability.    V. 

Jones,  Richard  S.     18.     Feb.  16,  '65 — July  19,  '65.     Disability.    S. 

Keen.  John.     23.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Kirscher,  Matthias.     38.     Feb.  14,  '62 — Feb.  19,  '64.      Died  of  disease.     V. 

Kelly,  James.  23.  Oct.  19,  '63 —  Missing  from  Chapin's  Farm,  Nov. 

7.  '64.  Wounded  at  Olustee.  S. 

Kaufman,  Frederick.     30.     Jan.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Lodge,  Isaac  D.  19.  July  24,  '61 — Aug.  TO,  '63.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Larome,  Louis.  21.  Apl.  4, '62 — Apl.  4, '65.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  and 
taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.  V. 

Lantz,  Albert.  27.  Oct.  30, '63 — Apl.  14, '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.  S. 

Leroy,  Jonas.     21.      Mar.  19,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Leavy,  Thomas.     25.      Mar.  31,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Lantfy,  Francis.  18.  Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  June  27, 

'65.  S. 

Lucas,  Richard  S.  30.  Feb.  20,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  25, 

65-  S. 

Lejoy,  Joseph.     37.     Mar.  3,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Loughrey,  John.     21.      Mar.  26,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Moon.  Timothy.  20.  July  27,  '61 — May  9,  '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at  Ft. 
Wagner,  and  taken  prisoner  at  Bermuda  Hundred.  V.V. 

McCreaf,  Henry.      19.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Aug.  18,  '62.      Disability.     V. 

Mounce,  Charles  W.  21.  Aug.  25,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Mason,  Abraham.  23.  Aug.  27,  '61 —  Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner; 

confined  at  Andersonville.  V. 

Magee,  Abraham.     21.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

McDowell,  Thomas.  18.  Sept.  2,  '61 — July  10,  '63.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at 
Morris  Is.  V. 

Mignon,  Ernest.  39.  Mar.  28,  '62 —  Missing  from  furlough  May  30, 

'64.  V.V. 

Martellerie,  Bernard  De  La.  42.  May,  i,  '62 — May  7,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at 
Chester  Heights.  V. 

McAlly,  Hugh.  36.  Sept.  i,  '63 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65. 

Wounded  at  Olustee  and  Drewry's  Bluff.  S. 

Milroy,  James.      33.      Sept.  2,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.      Trans,  to  Navy.    S. 

Miiller,  'Christian.  33.  Oct.  19,  '63— May  28,  '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Strawberry  Plains.  S. 

Minard.  Jeremiah.  Oct.  30,  '63 — May  15,  '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at  Olus 
tee  and  Strawberry  Plains.  S. 

Murphy,  Michael.  Oct.  30,  '63 — Mar.  24,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Olus 
tee.  V. 

Monroe,  William.      19.     Dec.  19,  '63 — Aug.  19.  '65.      Disability.     V. 

McCarty,  James.      18.     Jan.  28,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Manson,  William.      19.      Feb.  18,  '64 — July  15,  '65.      Disability.    V. 

Matteson,  Albert.      18.     Feb.  18,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Mattuschksy,  Reinhold.     22.     Sept.  22, '64 — Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   S. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD.  2/3 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Muller,  Augustus.     21.     Jan.  20,  '65 — May  5,  '65.     Died.     Wounded   at   Straw 
berry  Plains.   S. 

McGrath,  John.     23.     Jan.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Marshall,  Cornelius.      18.     Jan.  24,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Matthews,  James.     22.      Mar.    9,  '65 —  Missing  from   Raleigh,  Aug.   31, 

'65.    S. 
McDonald,  William.     23.     March  23,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug. 

3i,  '65-     S. 

Millis,  George.      18.     Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Newman,  Isaac.      19.     Sept.  26,  '64 — June  i,  '65.      Disability.     S 
Oliver,  Edward.      18.     Feb.  8,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Palmer,  Abraham  J.      15.     July  24,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.   Taken 

prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Pimm,  John  L.     24.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.       ,  '63.     Trans,    to   Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.     V. 

Purdy,  Andrew  C.     22.     April  6,  '62 — April  25,  '65.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Perrenot,  Frederick.     29.     Nov.  29, '62 —  Missing  from  veteran  furlough, 

May  30,  '64.     V.V. 

Pike,  John.     22.     Dec.  22,  '63— Aug.  17,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.  '  V. 
Perkins,  William.     44.     Sept.  2,  '63 — June  30,  '65.     Died  of  disease.     S. 
Potter,  Peter.     21.     Oct.  19,  '63 — April  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
Parshall,  John  B.     21.     Dec.  19.  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Priest,  Rufus  G.      18.     Jan.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Pierson,  Chester  B.     42.     Jan.  18,  "64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Plunkett,  James.     28.     July  30,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Pray,  Daniel.     30.     Jan.  6,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Richman,  George  W.      17.     Aug.  13,  '61 — July  i,  '64.      Killed  in  rifle-pits  before 

Petersburg.     V.V. 
Ronk,  John.     24.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Jan.  27,  '64.   Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.   Wounded 

at  Morris  Is.     V. 
Reed,  George  H.     23.     Sept.  9,  '6r — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee,  in  the  field,  Va.,  and  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Royce,  Eugene.      18.      Jan.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     V. 
Reilly,  Charles.      19.      March  9,  '65 — Sept.  r,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Smith,  William  H.     22.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Sithen,  Ziba.     30.     Aug.  9,  '61 — June  i,  '63.      Disability.     V. 
Souder,  Elmer.     21.     Aug.   25,   '61 — Dec.    n,  '63.      Disability   from  wounds    re 
ceived  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Scudder.   Theodore.     21.     Aug.  25,  '61 — April  24,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Smith,  Henry.    22.     Sept.  2, '61 — July  18, '63.    Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wagner.   V. 
Sibley,   Edward.     23.    Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Spear,    James.      22.      Sept.   2,   '61  —  Jan.    27,   '64.       Trans,    to    Invalid   Corps. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Smith,  Samuel  T.      18.     Dec.  15,  '61 — Dec.  25,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Simonds,  Joseph.     27.     April  17,  '62 — April    ,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.   Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Smith,    John.       44.  Missing   from  veteran   furlough,  May 

30,  '64.     V.V. 

Shafer,  John  C.     28.     Sept.  22,  '64 — June  13,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Sharp,  Horatio  B.      18.     Sept.  23,  '64— June  13,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Schultze,  Ernst.     30.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Styles,  George.      19.     Jan.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Souderman,  William.    30.    Jan.  23/65— June  4/65.   Died  of  disease  at  Raleigh.   S. 


274  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  D— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Spooner,  Horatio  B.     30.     Mar.  6,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Sears,  Benjamin  F.     18.     Mar.  6,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Seifort,  Matthias.     35.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Tunison,  George  W.     19.     Mar.  14,  '62 — March  19,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.       V. 
Tailleur,  Jean.     23.  Missing  from  veteran  furlough,  May  30, 

'64.     Wounded  at  Olustee.     V.V. 
Thomas,  John.     19.     Sept.  i,  '63 — June    ,  '64.    Died  at  Andersonville.  Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     S. 

Thomas,  Charles  H.     18.     Mar.  2,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
Voelters,  Frederick.     42.     Dec.  3/63 —  Died  at  Andersonville.    Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Strawberry  Plains.     V. 
Wilgus,  John  L.     23.     July  29,  '61 — Dec.  2,  '63.     Died   at   Richmond.     Taken 

prisoner  on  Morris  Is.     V. 
Weed.  Truman  A.      20.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.       Exp'n  of  service.       In 

regimental  band.     V. 

Worden,  William  H.     20.     April  30,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.   V.V. 
Wagner,  Avon.      18.     Mar.  i, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  i6,'65.   S. 

Wagner,  James  H.  19.  Mar.  i,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Wilmurth,  Peter  P.  20.  Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Zerwick.  John.  24.  Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 


AND   RECORD.  2?$ 


COMPANY  E. 

CAPTAINS. 

Coan,  Wm.  B.     See  Colonel,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Nichols,  Jas.  M.     26.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  12,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     2d  Lieut. 

Co.   G  Aug.   26,   '61;    ist  Lieut.   Co.   H    June    18,   '62;    Capt.  July  18,   '63; 

Brevet-Major,  Lieut.-Col.,  and  Colonel  U.  S.  V.     V. 
Dunn,  Jas.  W.     23.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Jan.  15,  '65.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Fisher. 

Promoted  from  ist  Serg.  to  2d  Lieut.  July  15,  '64;   ist  Lieut.  Aug.    I,  '64; 

Capt.  Dec.  3,  '64.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Garaghan,  H.  T.     18.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  I, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Promoted 

from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  H  to  2d  Lieut.  Aug.   16,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  Nov.   12,  '64  ; 

Capt.  Jan.  i,  '65.     V.  V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Hurst,  Fred'k.  See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 
Taylor,  Jos.  R.  See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Williams,  Jos.  M.  23.  Mar.  15,  '62 — Sept.  25,  '64.  Resigned.  Promoted 

from  Private  Co.   A  to  Quartermaster  Sergt.;  to  2d  Lieut.  July  6,  '64;  ist 

Lieut.  July  30,  '64  (not  mustered).     V. 
Orton,  Chas.  C.     23.    Jan.  i,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Promoted 

from  Private  Co.  F  to  Com.  Sergt.;  to  ist  Lieut.  Sept.  16,  '64.     V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Edwards,  Robert  S.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.   C. 
Hale,  Christopher.     See  Adjt.,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Acker,  Henry.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 
Giles,  John.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 

McGuigan,  Arthur.     21.     Aug.  i,  '61 — July  20,  '65.     Resigned.     Promoted  from 
Sergt.  Co.  D  to  2d  Lieut.  Ap'l  18,  '65.     V.V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Morton,  George.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  G. 
Fagans,  Geo.  W.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  G. 
Rumsey,  Dubois  B.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  A. 

Barnes,  Julius.     20.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 
at  Chester  Heights  and  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

SERGEANTS. 

Avery,  Amos.    31.    Aug.  i, '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Brooksbank,  George.     18.     Aug.  i,  '62 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Cold 

Harbor.     V. 
Condon,    Maurice.      27.      Sept.    i,    '62 — May    3,    '65.  Wounded    at 

Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V. 
Conity,  Thomas.    22.    Aug.  i,'6i — Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 
Cook,  George.     23.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Cornwall,  Fred.  D.     18.     Dec.  i,  '64 — Sept.  1/65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V. 
Danielson,  William.     22.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Feb.  18,  '63.     Commissioned  ist  Lieut. 

33d  U.  S.  C.  T.;  Capt.  July  26,  '63;  Major  I28th  U.  S.  C.  T.,  May,  '65.     V. 


276  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  E— Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

Fisher,  Jesse.  23.  July  24,  '61 — Sept.  '63.  Commissioned  2d  Lieut.  33d 
U.  S.  C.  T.  V. 

Jones,  Chas.  A.  20.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Chester  Heights.  V.V. 

Lawson,  James.  34.  Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Drevvry's  Bluff.  V. 

McLaughlin,  John.  24.  Jan.  14,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh  Aug.  16, 

'65.  S. 

Mooney,  John.     25.     Feb.  16,  '65.  Missing  from  Raleigh  Aug.  16,  '65.     S. 

Sears,  Henry  H.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  H. 

Snyder,  Luke.     See  Sergt.-Major,  Roster  of  Non.-Com.  Staff. 

Sweeney,  James.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 

Thompson,  John  W.  27.  Aug.  30,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  De 
clined  commission  2d  Lieut.  Wounded  at  Olustee.  V. 

CORPORALS. 

Anderson,  Frank.     23.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Bates,  Cornwall  A.  20.  Aug.  8,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Bates,  Dewitt  C.  19.  Oct.  19,  '63— May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner  and  Ft.  Fisher.  V. 

Bennett,  Thos.     20.     Aug.  26,  '61 — May  3,  '64.  V. 

Brassell,  Thos.  18.  Aug.  8,  '61 — May  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 
Bluff.  V.V. 

Burton,  John.  19.  Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '64.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner  and  Drewry's  Bluff.  V. 

Chapman,  Wm.  23.  July  20,  '61 —  Missing  from  Lee,  Mass.,  Jan.  19, 

'65.  Wounded  at  Deep  Bottom.  V.V. 

Douglas,  Robert.  22.  Aug.  24, '61 — Sept.  i, '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Gardiner,  Geo.  R.  24.  Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '63.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Gray,  Benjamin.  34.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Deep  Bottom.  V.V. 

Hamilton,  Alonzo  R.     See  Quartermaster  Sergeant,  Roster  of  Non-Com-Staff. 

Hynes,  Chas.  C.  34.  Aug.  21,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Johnson,  Edward.  26.  Aug.  30,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Major,  Wm.  S.  21.  Aug.  19,  '61 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Deep 

Bottom.  V.V. 

Mess.enger,  Andrew.  23.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V.V. 

Muldrey,  Thomas.  19.  Aug.  13,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Trans, 
from  Co.  I.  V. 

Muller,  Francis.     22.     Mar.  17,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '-65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Murray,  Wells  C.     37.     Jan.  25,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Sherman,  Benj.     24.      Mar.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Singleton,  Thos.  18.  Aug.  26,  '61— -Mar.  n,  '62.  Drowned  in  Cooper  River. 
S.  C.  V. 

Smalls,  Chas.  F.  27.  Sept.  2,  '61— May  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 
Bluff.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Stapleton,  Patrick.     22.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Wakefield,  Edward.  44.  Aug.  13,  '62— May  3,  '64.  Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner  and  Olustee.  V. 

Wilson,  John  R.     20.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD. 


COMPANY  E—  Continued. 


MUSICIANS. 


Stewart,  John  M.     ig.     Aug.  i,  "61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Spell,  VVm.  H.     21.      Dec.  i,  '63  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster  out  of  Regt.     V. 
Shannon,  George.      18.     See  Com.  Sergt.,  Roster  of  Non.-Com.  Staff. 

PRIVATES. 
Anderson,    Robert.      27.       Aug.    i,    '61  —  Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Ashlener,  Geo.     23.     Mar.  10,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.      S. 
Andrews,  Wm.      18.     July  26,  '61  —  Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  Service.     V. 
Abrams,  Smith.     18.     Aug.  27,  '61  —  Disability.     V. 

Alldis,  Henry.     20.     Sept.  2,  '61  —  June  30,  '64.      Killed  in  rifle-pits  before  Peters 

burg.     V.V. 

Bennett,  Henry  C.     24.     Feb.  20,  '63  —  Aug.  n,  '65.  V. 

Brodt,  Andrew.     27.  ,  Oct.  19,  '63  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Brown,  George.     34.     Feb.  6,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Boudinot,  Henry.      18.     Aug.  i,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Brower,  Jas.  A.      18.     Aug.  15,  '61  —  Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor  and  Olustee.     V. 

Berg,  Christian.     43.     June  9,  '62  —  Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Babcock,  Warren  H.     35.     Feb.  13,  '64—  Sept.  i,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
Brown,  Joseph.      18.     Aug.  24,  '61  —  July  18,  '63.      Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner.     V. 

Barry,  James.     30.     Jan.  23,  '65  —  July  6,  '65.     Died  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Burkhardt,  Joseph.     21.     Nov.    29,  '62  —  Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olus 

tee.     V. 
Bence,    Edward.     24.     Mar.    24,    '62  —  Missing  from   New  York,    July, 

'64.     V. 

Bowe,  Jas.     25.     Jan.  10,  '65  —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  '65.    S. 

Bisson,    Nicholas.      40.      Feb.   23,   "65  —  Missing  from   Raleigh,    June, 

'65.    S. 
Bridges,    Chas.     20.     Feb.    24,    '65  —  Missing   from    Raleigh,    July    30, 

'65.     S. 

Bluer,  August.     24.     Feb.  24,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Colgan,  John.     18.     Aug.  10,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Cassidy,  Andrew.     27.     Aug.    21,  '61  —  May  15,  '62.     Died  of  disease   on  Daw- 

fuskie  Island.     V. 
Cops,  Henry.     28.     Aug.  21,  '61  —  May  16,  '64.      Killed    in   action    at    Drewry's 

Bluff.     V.V. 

25. 


Aug.  13,  '62  —  June   i,  '64.       Killed   in  action  at   Cold 
Feb.  27,  '65  —  Missing  from    Raleigh,   July   10, 

Missing   from    Raleigh,    Aug.    10, 


Cook.  Patrick   H. 

Harbor.     V. 
Carlton,    Samuel.     29. 

'65.     S. 
Carl,    George.     22.     Feb.    22,    '65  — 

'65.     S. 

Conway,  George.      26.     Sept.  i,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Conover.  James.      18.     Feb.  23,  '65  —  Sept.  i.  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Canon,  Fred'k.     18.     Feb.  22,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Corley,  John.     24.     Feb.  17,  '65  —  May  4,  '65.  S. 

Church,  Edward  D.      18.     Feb.  14,  '65  —  July  18,  '65.  S. 

Doty,  Charles.      19.     Aug,  17,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Dillon,  Isaac.     33.     Sept.  7,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Degarmo,  Peter.      19.     Feb.  24,  '65       Disability.     S. 
Degarmo,    George.     22.     Aug.    10,   '61  —  Aug.   6,   '64.     Died    at    Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 


278  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  E— Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 
De   Arcey,    Edward.      18.     Mar.    20,    '64.  Died   of  wounds   received  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     D. 
Dolan,  James.     19.     Aug.  26,  '61 — July  4. '64.    Died  at  Andersonville.   Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Druba,  Peter.     26.     Feb.  24,  '65 — Aug.  6,  '65.     Died  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Dutil,  Emile.     30.     Mar.  27,  '62 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  May,  '65.     V. 

De  Larey,  Robt.     21.     Jan.  14,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July,  '65.     S. 

Dwyer,  Williams.     20.     Jan.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Davidson,  Williams.     30.      Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
De  George,  Chas.  J.     29.      Mar.  22,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 
De  George,  Joseph  W.      18.      Feb.  i,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Dennis,  Michael.     23.      Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Darling,  David.     27.     Feb.  23,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Davis,  John.      18.     Feb.  10,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Evans,  Andrew.     18.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Eustis,  Jacob.     20.    Jan.  10,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  15,  '65.     S. 

Emvisier,  Alex.     32.     Feb.  21, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  21, '65.     S. 

Englebrecht,  Aug.      19.     Jan.  24,  '65 — July  18,  '65.  S. 

Estrado,  Henry.     22.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Fay,  Patrick.     22.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Flint,  Martin.     25.     Feb.  20,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Gallagher,  Patrick.     40.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Gillmore,  Fred'k.     21.     Aug.  10,  '61 — July  18,  '63.      Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.     V. 

Graham,  David.    28.    Feb.  17, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  4,  '65.     S. 

Goldwaithe,  Chas.     40.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Green,  Wrn.  C.     26.     Feb.  13,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.    V. 
Green,  John.     44.      Feb.  n,  '64 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Heath.  Chas.     34.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Mar.  31,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Howell,  James.     43.     Aug.   15,  62 — May  3,  '65.     Wounded  at  Wilmington.     V. 
Harting,  John.     35.     Sept.  13.  '62 — May  3,  '65.     Disability.     V. 
Hawkins,  Wm.  H.      22.     Sept.  9,   '61 —  Died    at  Richmond.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Hartinkein,  Henrich.     22.     April   i,  '62 — May   5,  '64.     Died   at  Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.      V. 
Hoff,  Jacob.     21.     June  12,  '62 — Oct.  30,  '64.    Died  at  Andersonville.    Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Henry,   William.     28.     Feb.    20,  '65 —  Missing   from    Raleigh,  May  30, 

'65.     S. 

Harrison,  James.     27.      Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Holtmier,  Joseph.     30.     Feb.  24,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hawley,  John.     27.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Henry,  Edward  H.     23.     Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Iden,     Frederick.       22.      Mar.     26,     '62 — Sept.     i,     '65.      Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 

Isner,  Edward.     22.      Feb.  25,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Inroth,  Gustave.     20.  — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out. of  Regt. 

Jockiss,  Jacob.     36.     Feb.  21,  '62 — May    16,  '64.      Killed    in  action  at  Drewry's 

Bluff.     V. 
Johnston,  John.    28.     Jan.  10,   '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD.  279 

COMPANY   E— Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Joy,  Thomas.     25.     Jan.  10,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Kelly,  James.      19.     Sept.  23,  '64 — May  3,  '65.  S. 

Kane,  James.     30.     Sept.  24,  '62— May  3,  '65.  W'dat  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Kobath,  George.   21.   Sept.  14, '62 — May  3, '65.  W'd  at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Kelly,  James.     25.     Jan.  14, '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington  Mar. '65.   S. 

Kelly,  Michael.     21.     Jan.  2,  '64— Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Kiechl,  John  W.     24.     Jan.  n,  '65— May  3,  '65.  S. 

Klein,  Oscar.     34.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Kleiss,  Michael.     25.     Jan.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Link,  Conrad.     41.     Jan.  9,  '62— May  3,  '65.  V. 

Lambert,  Thos.      19.     Jan.  26,  '65 — May  3,  '65.  S. 

Lorton,  Alex,     19.     Aug.  21,  '62 — May  3,  '65.     Disability.     V. 
Liebner,   William.     37.     Feb.  10,  '65 — May  3,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Lorton,  Horatio.     32,     Aug.  21,  '62 — Dec.  27,  '64.     Died  at  Hampton.     V. 
Ladue,  Garrison.     18.    Aug.  13,  '61 — May  15,  '63.  V. 

Lewis,  John.     20.     Jan.  10,  '65. — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Leighton,  George.     27.     Feb.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lownas,  John.     35.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lindsey,  Richard.     23.     Sept.  23,  '64 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Muldoon,  Peter.     20.     Aug.  21,  '61— Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Miller,  Henry.     22.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

McMahon,  John.     29.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Manly,  Wm.  T.     20.     Sept.  9,  '61 — Sept.  21),  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V 

Monell,  Peter  B.     See  Hosp.  Steward,  Roster  of  Non-Com.  Staff. 
Minett,  Louis.     35.      Mar.  24,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Mathews,  John.      18.     Feb.  21, '62— Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Munda,  John.     25.     Sept.  26,  '64 — May  3,  '65.  S. 

Mills,  Charles.     20.     Aug.  19.  '62 —  '63.     Trans,  to  Navy.      Received  one 

of  the  five  medals  awarded  by  Congress  for  bravery.     V. 
Messenger,  Charles.      18.     Aug.    i.  '61 —  '63.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Mansfield,  Charles.      18.     April  2,  '62 —  Missing  from  furlough,  June,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
McCann,    Patrick.     23.     Jan.   25,   '65 —  Missing   from    Wilmington, 

March,  '65.     S. 

Malin.  John.     25.     Jan.  14,   '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh  July,  '65.     S. 

McCuliy,    Samuel    K.      29.     Aug.   21,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.       Muster-out   of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
McNally,    Richard.       22.       Aug.    21,    '61 — Sept.   I,    '65.      Muster-out   of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  in  the  field,  Va.     V.V. 

Mott,  Martin,     20.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
McCarthy,  John.     22.     Sept.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Mayer,  Anthony.     19.     Jan.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Maloney,  Thomas.     22.     Dec.  II,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Mack,  Cornelius.     20.     March  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Miller,  Louis.     19.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Others,  Alexander.     26.     Apl.  i,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Olustee  and  Deep  Bottom.     V. 


280  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY   E— Continued. 

PRIVATP:S — Continued. 
O'Brien,  Michael.      21.     Jan.  13,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  15, 

'65.     S. 
Ornd,  Lewis  G.      27.     Sept.  22,  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

in  the  field,  Va.     V. 
Pemberton,    Harrison.      19.       Sept.   2,   '61 — Sept.    20,    '64.       Exp'n    of   service. 

Wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Pemberton,  Henry.     42.     Aug.  20,  '61 —  '63.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.  V. 

Potter,    Henry.       22.       Aug.    18,   '62 — Aug.    21,   '64.       Died    at   Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Post,  Frederick.      19.     Aug.  22,  '61 —  Missing  from  New  York  '63. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Powell,  Wm.  H.     18.     Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Pope,  John.     34.     March  19,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Quinn,  Daniel.      18.     Jan.  10,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 
Raynor,  Joseph  B.      18.     Aug.    9,    '61 —  Disability.     Wounded  at   Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 
Rowell,  Horace.     22.     Sept.  2,  '63 —  Missing  from  Gloucester,  April,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     D. 
Reed,  George.    44.    Jan.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Rosa,  Moses.     28.     Aug.  23,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Rathbone,  John.      18.     Aug.  23,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Richards,  George.      18.      March  15,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.       Muster-out  of  Regt.      S 
Ryan,  William.     26.      March  i,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Stubbs,   Peter.     21.     Dec.   29,   '63 — May  7,   '64.       Killed    in    action    at    Chester 

Heights.     V. 

Sheehan,  James.      21.      March  12,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Smith,  Peter.     19.    Aug.  27,  '62 — July  18,  '63.   Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wagner.   V. 
Steinworth,  Theodore.     24.     Aug.  22,  '62 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 
Stanley,  Lawrence.     35.     Dec.  31,  '63 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Smith,   Christopher.      26.     Sept.  13,  '61 — July  i,  '64.     Killed  in  rifle-pits  before 

Petersburg.     V. 
Smith,  John  S.     25.     Sept.  2,  '62 — Sept.  3, '64.   Died  at  Andersonville.   Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     V. 
Smalling,  George    E.      19.      Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  3,  '64.     Died    at  Andersonville. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

Stone,  Walter.     25.     Jan.  14,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  2,  '65.   S. 

Schneider,  John.     30.     Feb.  9,  '64 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  17,  '65.  V. 

Smith,  Josiah.     20      Aug.  n,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Smith,  Peter.      19.     Dec.  22,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Ft.  Fisher.     V. 

Shay,  Everett.     34.     March  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Shapzel,  Fred.     35.     March  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Trask,  Edwin.     38.     Jan.  2,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Taylor,  Frank  B.     18.    Aug.  23,  '61— Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Terry,  Bryant  B.    20.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Turfler,  Francis  A.   23.    Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  28 1 

COMPANY  E— Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 
Vreeland,    Abraham.      21.     Aug.    26,   '61 — May    16,   '64.       Killed    in    action   at 

Drewry's  Bluff.    Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Vasey,    Thomas.       20.       Aug.   8,   '61 — July  18,   '63.       Killed    in    action    at    Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 
Van  Zant,  James.      18.     Aug.  27,  '61 —  Died  at  Andersonville.   Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Walters,  Thomas.     18.     Aug.  21, '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Winven,  Cornelius.    21.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Wood,  Cornell  S.     23.     Sept.  r,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Westermier,  Jacob.     30.     Jan.  17,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Wolf,  Henry.     24.     March  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Yerks,  Nathaniel.     38.     Aug.  n, '62— Sept.  i, '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 


282  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    N.  Y.   S.  VOLS. 


COMPANY   F. 

CAPTAINS. 

Green,  James  M.     See  Lieut. -Col.,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 

Swartvvout,  Saml.  M.     See  Major,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 

D'Arcy,  Wm.  E.  27.  Aug.  5,  '61 — Aug.  14,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Deep  Bot 
tom.  Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  28,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  Aug.  4, 
'64;  Capt.  July  15,  '64.  V. 

Lacoppidan,  Adolph.  26.  Aug.  I,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  H  to  2d  Lieut.  Mar.  10,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  July  6, 
'64;  Capt.  Aug.  14,  '64.  V.V. 

Fletcher,  David  B.  23.  Mar.  n,  '62 — May  15,  '65.  Discharged.  Promoted 
from  Sergt.  Co.  A  to  Sergt. -Maj.;  2d  Lieut.  July  15,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  Dec.  17, 
'64;  Capt.  Jan.  15,  '65;  (not  mustered  as  ist  Lieut,  or  Capt.)  Wounded  at 
Morris  Island.  Taken  prisoner  in  front  of  Petersburg.  V.V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Wallace,  Samuel  K.     26.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Dec.  29,  '62.     Resigned.     V. 

Moser,  Samuel  H.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 

Redman,  Enoch  J.  21.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergt.  Co.  I  to  ist  Lieut.  Jan.  6,  '65.  Wounded  at  Chester 
Heights.  V.V. 

Grant,  Henry  D.  Dec.  4,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster  out  of  Regt.  2d  Lieut. 
Aug.  26,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  Mar.  25,  '65  (not  mustered).  Trans,  from  H7th 
N.Y.V.  V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Robinson,  Henry  W.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  B. 

Barrett,  William.     32.     Aug.    15,  '61 — July   5,  '63.     Resigned.      Promoted  from 

ist  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Oct.  26,  '62.     V. 
Lyons,  Lorenzo  C.      19.     Aug.  5,  '61 — June  18,  '64.     Died  of  disease  at  Beaufort. 

Promoted  from  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Apl.  9,  '64  (not  mustered).     V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Kipp,  David.     19.     Aug.  10, '61 — Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded  at 

Wilmington.     V.V. 

Hutchinson,  E.  J.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 
Tuttle,  Wm.  E.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  D. 
Wyckoff,  Chas.  B.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  H. 

SERGEANTS. 

Beissenhurz,  Gustavus.  21.  Sept.  2,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at 

Olustee.  V. 

Cox,  Daniel.  22.  Sept.  3,  '61 — May  30,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  received  at  Olus 
tee.  V. 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD.  283 

COMPANY  F— Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

Duff,  William.     19.     Aug.  18,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Fort  Wagner.     V.V. 

Michaels,  Jacob  L.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  B. 
Newman,  Edgar  B.     19.     Sept.  3,  '61 — June  19,  '65.     Disability.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V.V. 
Ring.    Simon,    D.M.P.     25.     Oct.    26,   '63 — Sept.    I,    '65^     Muster-out   of   Regt. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
Sheridan,     Edward.     28.     Aug.    29,    '61 — Sept.    I,    '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Voorheef,  Louis.     28.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Wyckoff,  James  S.     21.     Jan.  17,  '62 — Jan.   20,  '64.     Commissioned  2d  Lieut., 

39th  N.  Y.  V.,  ist    Lieut.  Oct.    5,  '64;  Adjt.   Feb.  28,  '65;  Capt.   Mar.    2,  '65 

(not  mustered).     Received  "  Gillmore  Medal."     V. 


CORPORALS. 

Bracker,  James.      18.     Aug.  16,  '62— Sept.  10,  '64.     Died.     Wounded  at  Olustee 

and  Strawberry  Plains.     V. 

Britroback,  Clemens.     25.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cosgrove,  Simon    H.     27.     Sept.  16,  '61 — Feb.  29,  '64.     Died   at    Hilton    Head, 

of  wounds  received  at  Olustee.     V. 

Davey,  John.     29.     Feb.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Dumaz,  Edward.     21.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Feb.  21,  '65.     Killed  in  action  at  Wilming 
ton.     V.V. 

Elkins,  Jas.  H.      19.     Feb.  22,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Gardan,  Alexander.      19.     Feb.  23,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  6, 

'65.     S. 
Gaven,   Matthias.     21.     Aug.    26,    '62 — May  4,    '65.       Disability.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Heuston,  Richard.     28.     Mar.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Hoffman.  John.     19.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lepine,  Joseph.     30.     Jan.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Masker,  Richard.      18.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Onderkirk,  Wm.     24.     Aug.  10.  '61 — July  26,  '63.     Died  at  Beaufort,  of  wounds 

received  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Potter,  Henry  B.    iS.     Aug.  26, '61 — Sept.  I, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

Purdy,  Chas.     18.     Dec.  24.  '63 —  Missing  from  furlough,  July  i,  '65.  V. 

Ryan,  Peter.     33.     Aug.  18,  '61 —  Missing  from  furlough,  Apl.  22,  '64.  V. 

Stansbury,  Jas.     19.     Oct.  19,  '63 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  22,  '65. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
Schuchart.    Carl.      18.     Jan.  16,  '65 —  Missing  from   Raleigh,  July  26, 

'65.     S. 

Vane,  James.     21.     Sept.  26,  '64 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Ap'l  18,  '65.   S. 

Williams,  Robt.  C.      18.     Sept.  n,  '61 — Aug.  14,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Deep 

Bottom.     V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Dickson,  Robt.     44.     Aug.  20,  '61 — July  14,  "65.     Disability.     V.V. 
Morgan,  Hugh.      17.     Aug.  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 


284 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY  F—  Continued. 


PRIVATES. 


Abrams,  Chas.  A.,     18.     Aug.  26,  '61  —  June  n,  '62.      Died  at  Ft.  Pulaski.     V. 
Alburtis,  Wm.  H.      15.     Aug.  29,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Bovver,  Michael.     35.     Aug.  8,  '61  —  Nov.  19,  '63.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 

Barnes,  James.     24.      Mar.  25,  '62  —  Mar.  26,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Bogart,  Alexander.     23.     Aug.  i,  '61  —  June  18,  '65.     Disability.     V.V. 
Brown,   Thos.    M.   G.     29.     Dec.    n,  '62  —  Nov.  21,  '64.      Disability.     Wounded 

at  Olustee  and  Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Burns,  William.     41.     Aug.  27,  '61  —  July  18,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner.     V. 

Berraudt.  Otto.     23.      Feb.  20,  '65  —  May  2,  '65.     Died  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Baither,  Chas.     41.     Mar.  7,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bower,  Fred'k.     20.      Mar.  9,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Burrows,  John.     19.     Feb.  19,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Burke,  Michael.      18.      Nov.  12,  '63  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Brader,  William.      19.     Jan.  16,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Broach,  Wm.      25.     Jan.  16    '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Brennan,  Wm.     23.     Feb.  22,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65. 
Bradley,  John.      18.      Feb.  20,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65. 

32.     Aug.  10,  '64  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Feb.  22.  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
2.4.      Dec.  31,  '63  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
30.     Dec.  31,  '63  —  Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
25.     Feb.  21,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
36.     Sept.  n,  '61  —  Oct.  10,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Aug.  20,  '61  —  Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 


Clark,  Sylvester  J. 
Cullen,  James.     29. 
Coville,  Hiram  B. 
Coville,  Josiah  A. 
Craft,  Moses  O. 
Carpenter,  Wm. 
Clark,  John.      17. 

Olustee.     V. 
Cardilla,    Francis. 

'65.     S. 
Collins,  Cornelius. 

'65.     S. 
Cady,  William.    25 


Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Muster-out  of  Regt. 


28.     Feb.    23,   '65  — 
22.      Feb.  23,  '65  — 


Missing  from   Raleigh,  June  8, 
Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  28, 


Feb.  23-,  '65  —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  28,  '65.  S. 

Dean,  Alvin  L.     40.     Feb.  14,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Dodge,  John.     24.     Oct.  21,  '63  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Doorhaumer,  Ed.      17.     Jan.  14.  '64  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Detrich,  Conrad.     20.     Mar.  9.  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Decker,  Levi.     29.     Jan.  30.  '65  —  Mar.  21,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Daugherty,  James.     40.     Sept.  9.  '61  —  May  12.  '63.      Disability.     V. 
Dunne,  Henry  C.     25.     Sept.  16,  '61  —  June  30,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
De  Forest,  Gearadus.      17.     Dec.  17,  '61  —  July  28,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Darrow,  Samuel.     25.      Aug.  20,  '62  —  June  8,  '64.     Disabilit.     V. 


Donahue,  Chas.     41.     Aug.  28,  '62  —  Sept.  13,  '62. 
Deacon,  James  H.      19.     Sept.  2,  '61  —  Feb.  20,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Dingee,    Orville.     21.     Sept.    22,    '61  — 

'64.     V. 
Dufren,  Leander.      18.     Mar.  22,  '64  — 

Sept.  14,  '64.     S. 


Disability.     V. 
Killed  in  action  at  Olustee. 


Missing  from  furlough,  Apl.  22, 
Missing  from  before  Petersburg, 


Dugan,    Thos.      19.     Feb.     22,    '65 

'65-     S. 

De  Groat,  Jno.  M. 
Evans,  Ellis.  15. 
Ethridge,  Richard. 
Flagg,  Alfred.  22. 


Missing    from    Raleigh,    July    28, 


S. 


42.     Feb.  23,  '65  —  July  9,  '65.      Died  at  Raleigh. 
Feb.  9,  '64  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
18.     Mar.   31,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Jan.  16,  '65  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


S. 


IWSTER   AND  It E CORD  28$ 

COMPANY   F— Continued. 

P  R I  VAT  E  s  —  Con  tin  lied. 

Pagans,  Thos.     22.     Feb.  9.  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Ferguson,  W.  H.     39.      Feb.  13,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 

Fifer,  Samuel.     26.      Mar.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Fifer,  Michael.     22.     Jan.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Fitzgerald.  John  G.  21.  Nov.  9.  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Wounded  at  Deep  Bottom.  V. 

Flinn.  Peter.     25.      Feb.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Flannigan,  Wm.      39.     Jan.  2.  '64 — Sept.  I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Foley,  Wm.  H.  19.  Aug.  8,  '61 — Jan.  14,  '64.  Disability.  Wounded  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Furness,  Wm.  24.  Sept.  20,  '61 — Oct.  10,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Olustee.  V. 

Funday,  Joshua.  16.  Sept.  16,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Felt,  D.    Harman   Philip.     24.     Mar.    2,  '62 —  Missing   from    furlough, 

Apl.    22,    '64.       V. 

Flynn,  Thomas.  24.  Jan.  16,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh  Apl.  18, 

'65.  S. 

Genter,  Wm.     19.     Jan.  3,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster  out  of  Regt.      V. 

Golden,  Barney.     32.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Gauther,  August.     25.     Mar.  22,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Gardner,  Matthew.     36.     Sept.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Green,  Benj.  F.     26.    Aug.  8,  '61 — July  29,  '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.  V.V. 

Gill,  Daniel.  27.  Aug.  16,  '61 — Nov.  28,  '62.  Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pu- 
laski.  V. 

Grey,  Abiam  B.     20.     Apl.  26.  '62— July  18.  '62.      Disability.     V. 

Harren.  John       34.     Feb.  3,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Harbricht.  Wm.     20.     Feb.  16,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Hallenbeck.  Jacob.  19.  Oct.  30,  '63 — June  7,  '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Olustee.  S. 

Howard,  Wm.  B.  21.  Aug.  18,  '61 — Jan.  5,  '64.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Hyatt,  Joseph  E.  20.  Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '63.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Higgins,  Edward.     19.     Sept.  17.  '61 — Sept.  20.  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Havens,  Calvin.      18.     Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Hubbard,  Wm.     44.     Feb.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 

Homer,  Chas.  32.  Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  i, 

'65.  S. 

Johnson,  Jas.  M.     21.      Feb.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 

Jackson,  Andrew.  30.  Dec.  9,  '63 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Olus 

tee.  V. 

Jones,  Wm.     23.     Sept.  27,  '64 — June  26,  '65.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Fisher.     S. 

Kane,  Terrance.      19.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Kelly,  John.     21.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Kehoe,  Thomas.     31.     Jan.  4.  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Klace,  Henry.     31.     Jan.  16.  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Kennie.  Wm.     40.     Mar.  3,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 

Kelly,  Thomas.     42.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Keating,  James.  33.  Aug.  28,  '61 — July  22,  '62.  Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pu- 
laski.  V. 

King,  Andrew.  24.  Sept.  7,  '61 — Feb.  21,  '65.  Killed  in  action  at  Wilming 
ton.  V.V. 


286  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  F— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 
Kellogg,   Henry   W.     23.     Sept.    12,  '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Kelly,  Henry.     26.     Oct.    9,  '63 —  Missing  from   hospital,   New    York, 

May,  '65.     V. 

Lockwood,  Henry.     18.     Jan.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Lockvvood,  Andrew.      18.    Jan.  22,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Lust,  Henry.     24.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Levally,  Wm.  L.     22.     Feb.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Lyons,  John  H.      18.      Feb.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Lake,  Wm.  H.     15.     Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Lowrey,  Thos.     21.     Aug.   26,  '62 — Apl.   25,   '64.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 

Lamoyne.  Henry.     22.     Nov.  30,  '61 — Nov.  30,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Litnage,  Michael.     21.    Aug  5,  '61 — Feb.  18,  '64.    Died  in    Libby  Prison,    Rich 
mond.     Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Lorenzo,   Louis.     31.     Jan.   9,   '62 — July  30,   '64.      Killed    in  action     at  Peters 
burg.     V. 

McDonald,  Henry.     28.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Macllla,  Frank.      19.     Mar.    16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Millington,  Geo.  M.     18.     Feb.  13,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
McFarland,     Hudson.      19.     Aug.    10,  '61 — Sept.   i,   '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

Mahoney,  Morris.     20.     Feb.  20,  '64 — May  7,  '65 —  S. 

McDermot,  James.      19.     Aug.  n,  '63— June  18,  '65.     Disability.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 
McManus,  Daniel.    19.    Aug.    18,  '61 — Sept.  20, '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Olustee.     V. 
Morrisey,  Thos.     23.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Mahon,  James.  37.  Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  V. 
Mattisher,  John.  33.  Sept.  6.  '61 — Dec.  14,  '63.  Disability.  Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
McGinness,  Pat'k.    19.    Sept.  16,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Martin,  Wm.      19.     Nov.  25,  '63 — Jan.  29,  '64.      Disability.     V. 
McCarty,  James.     34.     Aug.  21,  '63— June  10,  '65.      Disability.     V. 
Madden,  John.     37.     Aug.  27,  '61 — May  2,  '64      Died  at  Hampton.     V. 
Murphy,    Joseph.     34.     Aug.    21,   '61 — July     18,  '63.      Killed    in    action    at   Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
McLenahan,  Matthew.     25.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Dec.  31,  '64.     Died  in  Libby  Prison, 

Richmond.     Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.    V. 
Mason.   William.     22.     Jan.    18,  '64 —  Missing  from   Wilmington,    Mar. 

i,  '65.     Wounded  in  field,  Va.     S. 
McCarty,   John.      25.      Aug.    21,   '63 —  Missing    from    furlough,     Sept. 

4,  '64.     V. 

Moore,  Geo.     24.     Sept.  23,  '64 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  22,  '65.     S. 

Noon,  Martin.  18.  Feb.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Nuttle,  Isaac  L.  39.  Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  V. 
Norton,  John.  23.  Sept.  16,  '64 — June  26,  '65 —  S. 

Nolan,  Michael.     21.    Sept.  12,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.    Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Orton,  Chas.  C.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 
Ostrom,  Chas.     21.      Nov.  14,  '62 — Jan.  5,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
O'Neil,  Thos.     41.     Aug.  24,  '61 — May  12,  '63.      Disability.     V. 
O'Neil,  John.    22.    Jan.  7,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  14,  '65.     S. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  287 

COMPANY  F— Continued. 
PRIVATES — Continued. 

Pattino,  Dennis.      18.     Jan.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Pierce,  Ephraim.     21.     Aug.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Packer,  James.     25.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Phillips,  John.      19.      Feb.  25,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Pugsley,  Jarvis.     33.     Aug.  25,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Pugsley,  John  G.     35.     Sept.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Phillis,  James.      19.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Perkins,  Chas.  J.     23.     Sept.  15,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Poppie,    John  L.     24.     April  7,  '62 —  Commissioned   Lieut,   and   Capt. 

3d  U.  S.  C.  T.     V. 

Pinkerton,  Henry.     40.     Aug.  18,  '61 —  V.V. 

Peek.  Wm.  L.     27.     Sept.  10,  '61 — July  29,  '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.    V.V. 

Reckert,  Robert.     21.      Feb.  15,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Russell.  Joseph.     27.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 
in  front  of  Petersburg.     V.V. 

Ryan,  John.     24.     Aug.    27,  '61 — Aug.  10,    '65.     Disability.     Wounded    at    Ft. 
Wagner,  Olustee,  Chester  Heights,  and  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 

Reynolds,  Oscar.     18.     Dec.  24,  '63 — May  10,  '65.   Disability.     V. 

Reily,  John.     23.    Sept.  4,  '64 — June  26,  '65.  S. 

Rentz,  Christian.    25.    Jan.  27,  '62 — June  13,  '64.   Wounded  at  Olustee.  V. 

Rudhardt,  Fred'k.    25.    June  12/62 — Feb.  20, '64.    Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 

Robbins,   Samuel.     19.     Aug.   S,   '61 — Aug.  3,   '63.     Died    of   wounds    received 
at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Stewart,  William.     25.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.    S. 

Sullivan,  John.     20.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Sigenthaler,  Nicholas.     33.     Jan.  16*!  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Shaft,  Wm.  E.      19.     Aug.  13,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Smith,  Chas.      19.     Feb.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Smith.  James  M.     21.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Shanly,  Daniel.     21.     Aug.  19,  '62 — Jan.   5,  '65.     Disability.     Wounded  in  field, 
Va.     V. 

Sullivan,  James.     30.     Sept.  4,  '61— Sept.  10,  '64.     Disability.     V. 

Shult.  Peter.     26.     Jan.  24,  '62 — Feb.   29,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 
Olustee.     V. 

Stevens,  Fred'k.     26.     Sept.  20,  '64 — June  26,  '65. 

Smith,   Barney.     20.     Oct.  19,  '63 — June  7,  '65.      Disability.     Wounded  at  Olus 
tee.     S. 

Schnatz,  Nicholas.     38.     Aug.   i,   '61 — Aug.    n,   '65.     Disability.      Wounded  at 
Chester  Heights.     V.V. 

Smith,     Henry    B.     21.     Aug.     15,     '61  —  July    29,     '64.     Trans,     to     Invalid 
Corps.     V.V. 

Schiltz,  Theoplis.     28.     Nov.   3,   '62— Feb.    20,   '64.      Killed   in   action   at   Olus 
tee.     V. 

Smith,    Francis.      19.     Aug.   27,   '63 — Feb.    20,   '64.     Killed    in  action   at   Olus- 
.   tee.     V. 

Schulater,  John  F.     24.     Aug.  4,  '61— July  28,  '64.     Died  in  Libby  Prison,  Rich 
mond.     V. 

Schalker,    Gerald.     33.     Feb.    29,    '64 —  Missing    from    furlough,    Apr. 

22,  '64.     S. 

Shields,    John.     26.     Nov.    18,    '63 —  Missing   from    furlough,    Oct.    4, 

'64.     S. 

Senior,  George.     18.     Feb.  22,  '64 —  Missing  from  Hospital,  New  York, 

May,  '65.     S. 

Thurston,  William.     18.     Jan.  5,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.      V. 


288  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  F— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Con  tin  ued. 

Turner,  John.     29.     Feb.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i.  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Tompkins.  Edward.      16.     Aug.  25,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Thayer,  Geo.  E.      19.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee  and  Chester  Heights.     V. 
Taylor,  Joseph  R.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Thayer,  Albert.      18.     Jan.  5,  '64 — Jan.  4,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Vogler,  Geo.  F.     29.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Apr.  n,  '62.      Disability.     V. 
Vans,  Martin  C.      18.     Aug.  17,  '61 — July  30,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Petersburg 

mine  explosion.     Wounded  in  field,  Va.     V. 
Vane,    James.     21.     Sept.    26,    '64 —  Missing   from    Raleigh,    July    26, 

'65.     S. 

Welcone,  Francis  D.     21.     Jan.  12,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of    Regt.     V. 
Walters,  Geo.     28.      Feb.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
White,  Geo.  H.     18.      March  24,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Waldron,  Edward.      23.     Dec.  24,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Winsbone,  David  S.     21.     Jan.  2,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
White,  Edward.     43.     Sept.  6,  '61 — July  20,  '62.      Disability.     V. 
White,  James.     27.     Sept.  17,  '61 — Oct.  10.  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Whitlock,  Daniel  D      26.     Sept.  16,  '61 — Feb.  22,  '64.      Promoted  to  2d  Lieut., 

39th  N.  Y.  V.  (declined).     V. 

Walker,  John   E.      18.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Apl.  n,  '62.      Disability.     V. 
Wagner,  David.     18.      March  15,  '64 — May  3,  '65.  S. 

Wormwood.  Morris.     21.      Feb.  6,  '64 — May  3,  '65.  S. 

Whitford,  Robert.     23.     Aug.    u,   '61 — June  25,    '62.      Died    of   disease    at    Ft. 

Pulaski.      V. 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD. 


289 


COMPANY   G. 


CAPTAINS. 


Elmendorf,  Anthony.     20.     July  26,  '61  —  April  ig,  '64.     Resigned.     Capt.  Aug. 

26,  '61.     V. 
Hilliard,  Van  RensselaerK.     26.    July  21,  '61—  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt. 

Promoted  from  Quartermaster  Sergeant  to  Sergt.-Maj.;  to  2d  Lieut.  Aug. 

29,  '62;   ist  Lieut.   Aug.   10,   '63;  Capt.   April   18,   '64;  Brevet  Maj.   U.S.V. 

Wounded  a,t  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Dunbar,  Wm.  H.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  A. 

Fagans,  Geo.  W.     21.     Aug.  15,  '61  —  Sept.   i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt..     Pro 

moted  from   ist  Sergt.   Co.    E  to  2d   Lieut.    Dec.   3,   '64;   ist  Lieut.  Jan.  i, 

'65.     V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Nichols,  Jas.  M.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 

Dandy,  Jas.    H.      19.      Sept.    14,    '61  —  Oct.    26,    '62.     Commissioned    ist    Lieut. 

looth  N.Y.S.V.     Promoted  from  Sergt.    Co.    B  to  2d  Lieut.   April  29.  '62. 

Capt.  Aug.  6,  '63  ;    Maj.  Dec.  9,  '64  ;  Brevet  Lieut.-Col.  N.  Y.  V.     (Killed 

in  action  April  2,  '65.)     V. 
Hutchinson,  E.  J.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  I. 
Morton,  Geo.     32.     Aug.  17,  '61  —  April  22,  '65.     Dismissed.     Promoted  from 

Sergt.  Co.  E  to  2d  Lieut.  April  6,  '64.      Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Root,  Robert  B.     20.     Aug.    26,   '61—  Sept.    i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.      Pro 

moted  from  ist  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  April  6,  '65.     V.V. 
Michaels,  Jacob  L.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  B. 


FIRST  SERGEANTS. 


Killed  in  action    at 


Crawford,   Robert  L.     43.      Aug.   26,  '61—  Aug.   16,  '64. 

Strawberry  Plains.     V.V. 
Wiegand,  Peter.     40.     Aug.  26,  '61  —  Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Henchey,  John.     24.     July  24,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 


SERGEANTS. 


21.     Aug.  18,  '61 
Aug.  3,  '61  — 


Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Missing  from  furlough  to  N.  Y.,  March, 


Wounded 


Buckley,  Albert  P. 
Biggar,  John.     24. 

'64.     V.V. 
Duffy,  Owen.     21.     Aug.    17,  '61  —  Sept.    20,  '64.     Exp'n  of   service. 

at  Olustee  and  Deep  Bottom  (leg  amputated).     V. 
Clark,  Abram.     28.     Sept.  16,  '61—  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

twice  at  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 
Hyatt,  Chas.  J.      19.     Aug.  23,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 


2QO  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  G— Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

Irvine,  James.     30.     Aug.  5,  '61 — June  18,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Keegan,  Michael  M.     33.     Aug.  2, '61 — Sept.  20, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Smith,  James  M.     24.     Aug.   16,   '61 — April  29,  '65.  Taken  prisoner 

at  Petersburg.     V.V. 
Travers,    William.     27.     Aug.     14,     '61 —  Died  at  home  on  parole.     Taken 

prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 
Wheeler,    Daniel     B.     22.     Aug.    14,    '61 — Sept.  I,    '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor      V.V. 
McLaughlin,  Cornelius.     33.     Aug.   27,   '61 — Sept.    20,    '64.     Exp'n   of   service. 

Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.     V. 

CORPORALS. 

Beach,  Henry  A.     24.     Aug.  5,  '61 — April  n,  '63.     Commissioned  2d  Lieut.  33d 

U.  S.  C.  T.     ist  Lieut.  April  30,  '64.     V. 
Bennett,  Fred'k.     21.     Aug.  16, '61 — May  23, '65.      Died.     Wounded  at  Drevvry's 

Bluff.     V.V. 
Crawford,  John  A.     21.    Aug.  20,  '61 —  Diedat  Beverly,  N.  J.     Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 
Clark,  Maurice  J.    21.     Feb.  14, '65 — Sept.  I, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

and  taken  prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.     S. 

Emory,  Chas.  L.      18.     Aug.  7,  '61 —  V.V. 

Fahey,  Patrick.     21.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.      Wounded 

a't  Drevvry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Granger,  Wm.  H.     22.     Aug.  20,  '62 — June  26,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Ingraham,  Aaron  H.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Johnson,  Peter.     27.     Sept.    12,   '61 — June  i,  '64.     Died.     Wounded  and   taken 

prisoner  at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Jessup,  Edmund  A.     28.     Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Lagan,  Peter.      18.      Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McAuliffe,  John.     29.     Aug.  13,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Nichols,  James.     30.     Sept.  23,  '64 — June  26,  '65.  S. 

O'Leary,  Patrick.     20.      Feb.  18.  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Sheehan,   Patrick.      19.     Aug.   26,   '61 — June    13,    65.     Disability.     Wounded  at 

Strawberry  Plains.     V.V. 

St.  John,  Miles.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  H. 
Wood,  William   F.      18.     Sept.    16,    '61 —  Died   of    wounds   received    at 

Drury:s  Bluff.     V.V. 

Wheelan,  Jas.     30.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Woods,  Edward.     24.     Aug.  31,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Wheeler,  Edward.     24.     Aug.  23,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Cady,  Frank  R.      19.     July  27,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Irvine,  Michael.     24.     Feb.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Kline,  Chas.      19.     March  22,  '62 — March  22,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.      V. 
Shute,  Henry  C.     15.     Nov.  2,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

WAGONER. 

Emmons,    Dallas.      21.      Aug.    19,    '61 — Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster-out   of    Regt. 
Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     Trans,  from  Co.  D.     V.V. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD.  2gi 

COMPANY  G— Continued. 


PRIVATES. 


Airey,  Wm.  E.      26.     Oct.  3,  '61 — Sept.  8,  '64.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Allen,  Chas.      18.     Aug.  23,  '61—  V. 

Aurbach,    Adolph.     24.     April    24,    '62 —  Trans,     to    Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.      V. 
Anderson,  Henry.     21.     Jan.  16,    65 —  Missing   from    Raleigh,    June  5, 

'65.     S. 

Bishop,  Thos.      59.     Aug.  24,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Brown,  James.      15.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Beckstien,  Henry.     36.     Jan.  17,  '65 — July  19,  '65.  S. 

Bake'r,  Henry.     24.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Drevvry's  Bluff.     S. 

Browning,  John.      18.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Burlingham,  Orvis.     20.     Feb.  16,  '64 — Sept.  i.  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Byrom,  Edwin  J.     21.      Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Blawers,  Abram  H.     22.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.      Disability.     V. 
Bell,  Wm.     35.     Aug.  27,  '61— Oct.  18,  '61.      Disability.     V. 
Bowman,  Pulaski.     25.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Boyle,  Barney.     44.     Aug.  14,  '61 —  V. 

Burns,  James.     34.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '62.     Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pulaski.  V. 
Blinn,  Clinton.     22.     Aug.  13,  '61 — June  8,  '65.     Drowned  from  steamer  Dupont 

while  on  furlough.     V.V. 
Baxter,    Geo.    F.     22.     Aug.    27,  '61 —  Missing  from   furlough,  Mar.    5, 

'64.     V.V. 

Canfield,  Horatio.     22.     Aug.  28,  '6r — Oct.  18,  '61.      Disability.     V. 
Carr,  Patrick.     47.     Sept.  i,  '61— Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Catur,  Andrew.      18.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Cox,  Charles.     22.     Feb.  18,  '65 — June  10,  '65.  S. 

Cunningham,   Edw'd.     32.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.   20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Conklin,  Wm.  H.     19.     Aug.  24,  '61 — June  i,  '64.     Died  of  wounds  received  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Countryman,    Thos.     20.       Aug.    23,    '61 — May    16,    '64.     Killed    in  action    at 

Drevvry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Cookman,  Wm.  H.     24.     Aug.  23,  '61 —  Missing  from  Annapolis,  Oct., 

'61.     V. 

Chadin,  Vincent.     19.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cameron,  John.     21.     Feb.  23,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Carmichael,  Hugh.     36.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Calkins,  Martin.      18.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cunningham,  James.     33.     Feb.  18,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Daniels,  Thos.  G.     28.     Aug.  13,  '61— Oct.  18,  '61.      Disability.     V. 
De  Haven,  Andrew  J.     29.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Dalton,  Patrick.     41.     Aug.  26,  '61 —  V. 

Dougherty,  Thos.     35.     Sept.  22,  '61 —  V. 

Davis,  Josiah.     22.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Aug.  i,  '64.     Died  of  disease.     V. 
Dunnam,  Geo.     19.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.  V. 
Deubel,  Sebastian.    24.    Apl.  3,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.  V. 
Dawson,  John.     28.     Aug.  2, '61— Aug.  16, '64.     Died  a  prisoner  at  Richmond.  V. 
Dubois,  Victor.     30.     Mar.  10, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  June  3, '65.   S. 

Dubois,  Louis.     23.     Mar.  10, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  June  3, '65.  S. 

Divine,  Clenon.      18.     Feb.  15/64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Ball,  Chas.     25.     Jan.  17/65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  _  Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded  at 

Wilmington.     S. 


.      FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  G— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 
Enx,  Otto.     21.     Jan.  29, '62 —  Missing  from  hospital,  New  York,  June, 

•    '65.     V. 
Fenner,  John  D.     21.     Aug.  2,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Bermuda  Hundred.     V.V. 

Fair,  Phineas.     30.      Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Fury,  James.     22.     Sept.  4,  '6r — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Farley,  Michael.     28.     Jan.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Fenner,  Wm.  H.     22.     Aug.  24,  '61— Oct.  18,  61.      Disability.     V. 
Fangrave,  John.     21.     Oct.  21, '63— Apl.  26, '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
Furlough,    Michael.      19.     Oct.   21,  '63 — June    i,  '64.      Supposed   killed   at   Cold 

Harbor.     V. 
Grouse,    Paul.      35.       Aug.  17,  '61 — May  16,  '64.     Supposed   killed  at   Drewry's 

Bluff.     V.V. 

Gardner,  John.     20.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Oct.  iS,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Glynn,  Michael.     30.     Sept.  8.  '61— Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Gifford,  Chas.     19.      Feb.  22,  '64— May  29,  '65.     Disability.     V. 
Gibson,  John.     20.     Mar.  10,  '65 — June  7,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Granger,  Thos.  S.     18.     Aug.  19,  '62 — July  7,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.    V. 
Gorman,  James.     24.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Griffith,  Benjamin.      18."    Apl.  6/64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Gleddell,  Henry.     41.     Mar.  14,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Holmes,  Robert  H.      19.     Sept.  13,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.   V.V. 
Henain,  Constant.      25.     Aug.  2t>,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Homan,  Michael.     21.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hutchison,  James.     33.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hartt,  Geo.     24.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Henry,  Jas.  C.      18.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Henchy,  Patrick.     20.     Apl.  12,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Houston,  Alexander  W.    29.    Aug.  8,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.   V. 
Hyatt,  Chas.  J.     41.     Feb.  n,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Hare,  James.     25.     Apl.  5,  '62 — Nov.  8,  '64.     Disability.     V. 
Holland,  David.     42.      Feb.  24,  '65— June   18,  '65.  S. 

Hamblin,  Wm.  F.     18.     Mar.  25,  '6_j — June  21,  '65.     Disability.     V. 
Harvey,  Richard  E.      18.     Aug.  16,  '61 —  V. 

Harris,  Geo      22.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Apl.  26.  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
Hopkins.  Wm.  J.      18.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Nov.  26,  '61.      Died  of  disease  at   Hilton 

Head.     V. 
Hirsch,  Max,     24.     Aug.  '61 —  Missing  from   furlough,   Apl.  20,  '64. 

V.V. 
Henderson,  Andrew  J.     21.     Feb.  21,  '65—  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July 

13, '65-     S. 
Irvine,  Wm.  H.      18.     Aug.  23,  '61 — May  24,    64.     Died  of  wounds  received  at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Johnson,  James.     22.     Feb.  21,  '65 — June  13,  '65.  S. 

Johnson,  Geo.  N.      18.      Mar.  20,  '65 — July  17,  '65.      Disability.     S. 
Johnson,  John.     28.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 
Jones,   John   V.     21.     Aug.    '61 — July   3,   '65.     Disability.     Wounded    at    Deep 

Bottom.      V.V. 
Jessup,  Charles.     20.     Mar.  28,  '64 — May  18,  '65.     Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve 

Corps.      Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.     S. 
Jerome,  Edward.     22.     July  24,  '61 — Oct.  15,  '64.     Died  of  disease  at  Brooklyn, 

N.  Y.     V.V. 
Jenkins,    Wm.     20.     Feb.    16,    "65 —  Missing    from    Raleigh,    July   9' 

'65.     S. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  293 

COMPANY  G— Continued. 

PRIVATES  —  Continued. 

Kaufmann,  Frank.     38.     Sept.  8,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Kells,  James.     44.     Aug.  18,  '61 — Aug.  16,  '64.     Supposed  killed  at  Strawberry 

Plains.     V.V. 
Kelley,  Patrick.    25.    Jan.  17,  '65—  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  20 

'65.     S. 

Kettleman,  Geo.     21.     Mar.  n,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65..     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Kolb,  Andrew.     21.      Mar.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.      D. 
Lorens,  John.     21.     Jan,  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lauterback,  Fred'k.     20.     June  3,  '62 — June  3,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Little,  John.     20.     Aug.  26,  '61 — May  16,   '64.      Killed    in    action    at    Drewry's 

Bluff.     V. 
Maby,  John.     22.     Sept.    14,   '61 —  Missing  from  Washington,  Sept.  26, 

'61.     V. 
Mellis,  James.     28.     Aug.  26,  '61 —  Missing  from  hospital,  New  York, 

June  7,  '65.     V.V. 
Maloney,  John.     30.     Sept.  2,  '61 —  Missing  from  hospital,  New  York, 

June  2,  '65.     Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 
McReady,  John.     29.     Mar.   10,    '65 —  Missing   from    Raleigh,  Aug.  6, 

'65.     S. 
Maloughney,  Lawrence.     20.     Sept.   2,    '61 — Aug.    16,  '64.     Supposed    killed   at 

Strawberry  Plains.     V.V. 
Moriarty,  Fergus.     28.     Oct.  20.  '63 — Feb.   17,   '65.     Died    a    prisoner.     Taken 

prisoner  near  Petersburg.     V. 
Mclntyre,  Thos.     26.     Sept.  3,  '61 — Oct.    15,  '64.     Trans,   to    Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.     Wounded  at  Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V.V. 
Mclnnis,  John.     25.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
McKenzie,  Michael.     30.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
Murphy.  John.     41.     Aug.  24,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Moran,  Daniel.     22.   Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  20,    '64.       Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Mitchell,  Charles.    44.    Sept.  4,  '61  -Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 
Mittnacht.  Alexander.     26.     July  9,  '62 — Sept.  8,  '64.     Commissioned  2d  Lieut 

I5th  H.  A.  N.  Y.  V.     V. 
McArthur,    Albert.      21.      Oct.  26,  '63 — Dec.  16,  '64.     Disability.      Wounded  at 

Cold  Harbor.     S. 
Moses,  Herman.     24.     Mar.  18,  '62 — Mar.  18,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V. 

McDonaugh,  Peter.     36.     Jan.  4,  '64 — June  10,  '65.  V. 

Miller,  Stephen.     30.     Feb.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Murphy,  Timothy.     28.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Mivale,  Sebastian.     21.      Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Morris,  Joseph.     21.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S.  fc 

Marston,  Geo.     26.     Sept.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 
Malloy,  Michael.      18.     Aug.  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V.V. 

Mentrendaler,  Gottlieb.    18.   Sept.  26,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Morris,  Benjamin.     24.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McCarthy,  John.     29.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McDowell,  Chas.     18.     Feb.  27,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.  V. 
Nolan,  Peter.     21.     Sept.  23,  '64 — July  8,  '65.  S. 

Nichols,  Jeremiah.      19.     Aug.  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
O'Neil,  Thomas.     27.     Oct.  21,  '63 — April  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 

20 


2Q4  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  G— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 
O'Brien,   James.      38.      Aug.    30,    '61 — July   3,    '65.     Disability.     Wounded    at 

Drewry's  Bluff.    V.V. 
O'Rourke,  Daniel.    37.    Aug.  31,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 

Penny,  Jacob.     26.      Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Peterwitch,  Nicholas.     22.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     S. 
Pinkerton,  Francis.     31.     Aug.  14,  '6r — Oct.    18,  '61.     Disability.     V. 
Pauteau,  Christopher.     21.      May  25,  '62 — May  15,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Prince,    Benj'n    E.      19.     Aug.    23,    '61 — Dec.    n,    '62.     Died  of  disease  at   Ft, 

Pulaski.     V. 

Quackenboss,  Edward.    18.    Feb.  27,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Rose,  Abram  M.     28.     Aug.  22,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Reiff,  Michael.     43.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Rosenthal,  Levi.      18.      Feb.  17,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.    V. 
Ricker,  Geo.  B.     28.      Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   S. 
Reese,  Sam'l.     42.     Feb.  12,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V. 
Reizal,  Adam.      56.     Jan.  12,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Rose,  John  L.     26.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Oct.  18,  '61.      Disability.     V. 
Reed,  Chas.  W.     20.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.    V. 
Richter,  John.     29.     Aug.    '61 —  Missing  from  veteran  furlough,  May 

25,  '64.     V.V. 
Rorsch.  Carl.     28.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  29, 

'65.     S. 
Steinhart,  Chas.     23.     Aug.  '61 —  Missing  from  veteran  furlough,  May 

25,  '64.     Wounded  at  Olustee.    V.V. 
Schneider,  Peter.     28.     Jan.  16,  '65 —  Missing  from  hospital,  New  York, 

June  7,  '65.     S. 

Sischo,  Abel.     18.     Feb.  24,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65.    S. 

Sayers,  Benj'n.     21.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Feb.  12,  '62.      Killed  accidentally  on   Daw- 

fuskie  Island.     V. 
Stone,  John.     32.     Aug.    16,    '61 — May  16,    '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 

Bluff.     V. 

Stewart,  James.      17.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Oct.  18,   '61.     Disability.     V. 
Shanley,    Patrick.      Aug.   26,   '61 — July  20,  '65.    Disability.    Wounded  at  Straw 
berry  Plains.     V.V. 
Sea,  Geo.  A.     24.    Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded  at 

Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 
Sayers,  John.   29.    Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of   Regt.     Wounded  at 

Chester  Heights.     V.V. 
Sayers,    Newton    B.     19.     Aug.    26,    '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out   of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.     V.V. 

'  Smith,  Wesley.     18.    Sept.  14,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Smith,  Charles.     26.     Jan.  16,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Smith,  Daniel  H.      19.     Jan.  22,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Smith,  Edward.     17.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Sale,  John  W.     30.     Sept.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Seirney,  Alois.     27.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Simmonds,  Sterry  H.    18.    April  6, '64 — Sept.  i, '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    V 
Schields,  James.     39.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Thompson,  Franklin.     23.     Aug.  26,  '61 — July  28,   '65.     Disability.     Wounded 

at  Bermuda  Hundred.    V.V. 

Thompson,  Robt.     21.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 
VanZant,  Alfred  D.  42.    Aug.  21,  '61 — Jan.  29,  '64.    Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.    V. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD. 

COMPANY  G— Continued. 
PRIVATES — Continued. 

Van  Slyke,  John.  26.  Aug.  26,  '61 —  Missing  from  Washington,  Sept. 

26,  '61.  V. 

Welch,  John  C.  21.  Aug.  12,  '61— Nov.  28,  '61.  Killed  accidentally  at  Hilton 
Head.  V. 

Wenzler,  Conrad.  21.  Mar.  21,  '62— Jan.  '64.  Committed  suicide  at  Hilton 
Head.  V. 

Wedmer,  Alexander.  40.  Mar.  n,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at 
Olustee.  V. 

Wetmore,  Geo.  18.  Feb.  21,  '63— Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Olus 
tee.  V. 

Welling,  Sam'l  K.    39.    Aug.  17, '62 — June  26,  '65 —        Wounded  at  Olustee.    V. 

Ward,  James.  38.  Feb.  3,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Olustee.  D. 

Whiter,  Abram.     23.     Mar.  16,  '64 — Sept.   i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Welch,  Thomas.     23.     Mar.  16,  '65. — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Whaley,  James.     23.     Aug.    19,   '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.       Muster-out  of   Regt.    V.V. 

Yam,  Max.     21.     Feb.  21,  '65 — June  7,  '65.  S. 

Youmans,  Sam'l.  19.  Aug.  '61 — May  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Drevvry's 
Bluff.  V.V. 


296 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,    N.  Y.   S.  VOLS. 


COMPANY    H. 

CAPTAINS. 

Strickland,  Dudley  W.     See  Lieut.-Col.,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Lockwood,  William  L.     24.     July  15,  '61 — May  26,   '64.     Resigned,    disability. 

ist  Lieut.   Aug.    16,  '61;  Capt.    Co.  F   June   18,  '62;   trans,    to   Co.  H   Jan, 

26,  '63.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Barrett,  James  A.     See  Major,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS, 

Nichols,  James  M.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 
Sears,  Henry  H.     Aug.  10,  '61 — Aug.  14,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Deep  Bottom, 

Promoted  from  Sergt.   Co.  E  to  2d  Lieut.    Aug.  28,  '63;  ist  Lieut.    Mar.  9, 

'64.     V. 

Anderson,  Hamilton  E.     30.     Sept.  12,  '64 — Apl.  6,  '65.      Resigned.     V. 
Halstead,    John.     23.     Aug.   8,    '61 — Sept.    I,    '65.     Muster-out  of    Regt.     Pro 

moted  from  ist  Sergt.  to  ist  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65.     V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 
Patterson,  Caleb  N.     27.     July  24, '61 — Dec.  19,  '61.      Resigned.     2d  Lieut.  Aug. 

26,  '61.     V. 

Carlton,  Wm.  J.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  D. 
Wyckoff,    Charles    B.      18.     Aug.    5,    '61 — Mar.    7,    '64.     Resigned,     disability 

Promoted  from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  F  to  Sergt.  Maj.;    2d  Lieut.   July  10,  '63.  V. 
Edwards,  Roger.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 
Seaward,  Benjamin.     See  Adjt.,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Smith,  Peter  W.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 
St.   John,    Miles.     20.     Aug.    12,  '61 — Sept.    i,   '65.     22.     Muster-out  of    Regt. 

Promoted  from  Corpl.  Co.  G.  to  2d  Lieut.,  Jan.  i,  '65.     V.V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Havens,  William  H.     19.     Aug.  23,  '61 — Sept.  i, '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 
Lacoppidan,  Adolph.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  F. 
Laxey,  John  F.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  B. 

SERGEANTS. 
Clayton,  John  T.     22.     Aug.  8,  '61— Aug.    5,  '63.     Died  from  wounds  rec'd  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Garaghan,  Henry  T.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 
Liming,  Job  G.     19.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Miller,  Everett.     24.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Pope,  Theodore.     20.     Aug.  12,  '61 — Jan.  15,  '65.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Fishei 

as  Color-Bearer.     V.V. 
Sparks,  George  G.     23.     July  25,  '61 — Dec.    17,    '63.     Disability  from  wounds 

rec'd  as  Color-Bearer  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Stayley,  George  B.     23.     Aug.  8,   '61 — Jan.   22,  '64.     Commissioned  ist  Lieut. 

I59th  N.  Y.  V. ;  Capt.  Aug.  4,  '65.     V.V. 
Walling,   Hendrickson.     22.     Aug.    13,  '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     Taken  prisoner  in  front  of  Petersburg.     V.  V. 
Yerks,  Joseph  W.    27.    Aug.  7,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD. 


297 


COMPANY  H— Continued. 


CORPORALS. 


Disability.     Taken 

Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 


Carman.  Benjamin  H.     46.     Sept.   5,  '61 — July  10,   '65.     Disability.     Wounded 

at  Chester  Heights.     V.V. 

Cook,  William  H.     21.     Aug.  15,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Carhart,  Isaac.     23.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i.  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Dennis,  Augustus.     26.     July  29,  '61 — Aug.  26,  '62.     Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Pu- 

laski.     V. 
Freeman,  James.     29.     Sept.   5,  '61 — Jan.    i,  '65.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner  and  Chester  Heights.     V.V. 
Henry,  John.     21.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     D. 
Luyster,  William  W.     20.     Aug.  29,  '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 

Lynch,  Peter.     20.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Nicoll,  George  B.     18.     Feb.  27,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Owens,  William  H.     24.     Aug.  24,  '61 — Apl.   12,  '65.     Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps. 

Wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Owen,  Samuel  V.     20.     Apl.  5,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Pedro,    Joseph  H.      25.      Aug.    i,  '61 — June   i,   '65.      Disability.     Wounded   at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Remsen,    Treadwell   W.     20.     Aug.    5,    '61 — June   13, 

prisoner  at  Deep  Bottom.     V.V. 
Stedman,  Matthias.     34.     Feb.  25,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65. 
Townsend,  Henry  C.     19.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65. 
Tasker,  Rodolphus  D.     23.    Sept.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65. 
Voorhies,  James  M.     22.     Aug.  8,  '61 —         '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V.V. 
Van  Cleaf,  Joseph.     24.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Aug.  26,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Walling,  Andrew  J.      19.     Aug.   13,  '6r — June  6,  '64.     Disability.     Wounded  at 

Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Penulet.  William.     23.      Aug.  8,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Jones,  George  E.     14.  Jan.  25,  '62— Dec.  10,  '63.     Died  at  Hilton  Head.     V. 

Johnson,  Benjamin  D.  21.   Aug.  10,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 

WAGONERS. 

Edwards,  James  L.     27.     Aug.  24,  '61 — Aug.  26,  '65.  V.V. 

Gant,  John  W.     20.     Aug.  12,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

PRIVATES. 
Allen,  Jeremiah.     28.     Sept.  3,  '61 — July  18,  '63. 

ner.     V. 
Allen,  Joseph.      18.     Aug.    23,  '61 — July    18,  '63. 

ner.     V. 

Addye,  James  H.  21.  Jan.  18,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65. 
Artolauf,  Phillip.  38.  Mar.  S,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65. 
Burr,  Louis  W.  19.  July  24,  '61— May  25,  '65  — 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Deep  Bottom. 
Beers,  Charles  H.     37.     Oct.  20,  '63— 

'64.     D. 
Barrella,  Guyacomo.     25.     May  21,  '63 — Feb.  20, 

tee.     V. 

Belias,  Abraham.      18.     Jan.  17,  '65 — June  18,  '65 
Buck,  Henry  T.     19.      Mar.  8,  '65— June  18,  '65. 
Braddock,  Moses.     30.     Jan.  12,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65 


Killed  in   action   at  Ft.  Wag- 
Killed  in   action  at  Ft.  Wag- 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Missing  at  Newbern. 
V.V. 
Missing  on  furlough,  Nov.  12, 

'64.     Supposed  killed  at  Olus- 

S. 
S. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 


298  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY   H— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Continued. 

Boland,  Michael.     30.     Mar.  24,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Bernheim,  Julius.  25.  Dec.  20,  '62 — Sept.  16,  '64.  Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps. 
Wounded  in  front  of  Petersburg.  V. 

Clark,  David.  21.  Aug.  29,  '62 — Mar.  18,  '64.  Died  at  Richmond.  Wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Cornell,  Isaac.  34.  Aug.  21,  '62 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Coudant,  Joseph.  36.  Jan.  5,  '63— Dec.  29,  '64.  Died.  Wounded  at  Olus- 
tee.  V. 

Cooney,  James.  19.  Aug.  2,  '61 —  Missing  on  veteran  furlough,  Mar. 

5,  '64.  V.V. 

Connelly,  John.  20.  Oct.  20,  '63 —  Missing  on  furlough,  Nov.  4,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Drevvry's  Bluff.  D. 

Clarkson,  Rob't.      19.     Aug.  29,  '62 —  Disability.     V. 

Clarkson,  John.  25.  Aug.  29,  '62 —  Exp'n  of  service.  Taken  prisoner 

at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Cook,  John  F.     24.     July  24,  '61 — July  6,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Cornell,  Chas.  T.  32.  July  24,  '61 — July  10,  '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Cold  Harbor.  V.V. 

Cook,  Henry.     33.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Collins,  James.  19.  Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Wilmington.  S. 

Cole,  William  H.     31.     May  19,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Curtis,  Thomas.  21.  Aug.  6,  '61 — July  20,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner, 

Drewry's  Bluff,  and  Cold  Harbor.  V.V. 

Dikeman,  John  P.  22.  Aug.  22,  '62 — Dec.  2,  '64.  Died  on  board  hospital 
steamer  at  Savannah.  V. 

Dalso,  Francois.    21.    Oct.  20,  '63 —  Missing  at  Petersburg,  Sept.  20,  '64.    S. 

Dowd,  Michael.      19.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  18,  '65.     S. 

De  Grilla,  Alexander.     29.     May  3,  '62 — May  3,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Dunning,  Chas.      18.     Jan.  18,  '65 — June  18,  '65.  S. 

Dougherty,  Patrick.      24.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Dunn,  James.     19.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Drummond,  Eugene.     18.     Mar.  6,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Eckel,  Charles  R.     24.     Aug.  30,  '62 —  Wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.    V. 

Emerich,  Philip.  18.  Aug.  i,  '61 —  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 

at  Petersburg.  V. 

Erforth,  August.  22.  Aug.  24,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wound 
ed  in  the  field,  Va.  D. 

Elkins,  Henry.      18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Englehardt,  F'rank.  20.  Apl.  7,  '63 —  Missing  at  Gloucester  Point, 

May  4,  '64.  S. 

Ford,  John  B.  20.  July  30,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner.  V. 

Fitzer,  Jacob.     28.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Farley,  James.     23.     Mar.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Grover,  Mason  G.     22.     July  23,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Groves,  Elijah  R.     32.     Aug.  21,  '62 —  '65.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Giverney,  James  M.  22.  Aug.  6,  '61 — July  19,  '65.  Disability.  Wounded  at 
Ft.  Wagner.  V.V. 

Gifford,  Robert  W.     44.     Aug.  4,  '61 — July  i,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Gaworski,  Ignace.     37.      Feb.  19,  '62 — Sept.  28,  '64.     Disability.     V. 

German,  Nicholas.     44.     Feb.  14,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Gauze,  William.     20.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


ROSTER  A  AW   RECORD.  299 

COMPANY   H— Continued. 

P  R  I  v  ATE  s —  Con  tin  ued. 

Gunther.  Ernst.  20.  Mar.  S,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Gould,  Charles.  18.  Mar.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Griffin,  Randolph  C.  18.  Aug.  i,  '61 — Dec.  10,  '61.  Died  of  disease  at  Hilton 

Head.     V. 
Havens,  Amos  M.     19.     Aug.   23,  '61 — July    20,    '63.      Died    at    Charleston    of 

wounds   rec'd  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Hoff,  Aaron.      18.     Aug.  16,  '61 — July  18,  '63.      Killed    in    action    at    Ft.    Wag 
ner.     V. 

Halstead,  Samuel.     28.     Sept.  2,  '62 — Sept.  5,  '64.     Died  at  Ft.  Monroe.     V. 
Hughes,  Patrick.      38.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  16,  '64.      Trans,   to   Invalid    Corps. 

Wounded  at  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Homan,  Charles  T.     23.     Sept.  2,  '63 —  '64.     Trans,   to  Navy.     V. 

Hopper,  Jacob.     19.     Apl.  n,  '62 — Apl.  n,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Hall,  William  J.     21.     Aug.  27,  '61 — Sept.  1/65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Hendrickson,     Barkalovv.      27.       Aug.    4,    '61 — Sept.    i,    '65.        Muster-out   of 

Regt.     V.V. 

Hanselman,  Jacob.     21.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Hatten,  George  H.     18.     Jan.  19,   '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hayden,  Michael.     18.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Haug,  Antonie.     24.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hughes,  John.     19.     Mar.  10,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hatley,  William.     22.     Mar.  17,  '65— Sept.  i, '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hines,  Frederick.    22.    Jan.  12,  '65 —  Missing  at  Wilmington,  Mar.  2,  '65.   S. 

Hughes,  Arthur.    22.    Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  at  Federal  Point,  Feb.  8, '65.    S. 

Ivans,  James  G.      17.     Aug.  14,  '61 —  Disability.     V.V. 

Jonannin,  Adrian.     29.     Dec.  17,  '61 —  Missing  on   furlough,   Dec.  17,. 

'64.     V. 

Jackson,  Josiah  C.     36.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Jones,  Elijah.     19.     Feb.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Johnson,  George  W.      18.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Jeffers,  Michael.     37.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Jackson,  Thomas.     39.     Feb.  24,  '65 — June  12,  '65.     Died.     S. 
Ketcham,  Ira  P.     23.     Sept.  2,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Ketcham,  Emery  W.      17.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Kellogg,  Martin.     35.     Feb.  16,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Kaufman,  August.     36.     Jan.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Liming,  Michael  O.     26.     July  25,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V.V. 
Liming.  Charles.     21.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

.     at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Ling,  Samson  A.     29.    July  24,  '61  —  Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

in  the  field,  Va.     V.V. 
Lafferty,  Charles.     21.      Sept.   n,  '61 — June   i,  '64.       Killed  in   action   at   Cold 

Harbor.     V.V. 
Lord,  John  E.     20.     Aug.  14,  '61 — July  30,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Petersburg 

mine  explosion.     V.V. 

Lee,  John.     31.     Aug.  27,  '62 —  '65.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 

ner.     V. 

Lewis,  Lewis.     32.     Feb.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Manton,  James.     21.     Sept.  24,  '64 — July,  '65.  D. 

Mackey,    Frederick.       21.       Sept.    n,    '61 — Mar.    26,    '64.       Died    at    Palatka. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Morton,  John.      18.     July  22,  '61— Aug.  4,  '63.     Died  in  New  York   of  wounds 

received  at  Ft.  Wagner. 


300  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  H— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Continued. 
McCoomb,  John.     18.     Aug.  5,  '61 — May  20,  '62.     Died  of  disease  on  Dawfuski 

Island.     V. 
Murdick.  William.    26.    Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  i,  65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Wilmington.     V.V. 
Miller,  Francis.    44.     Aug.  20,  '61 —  Missing  from  hospital  at  New  York, 

Dec.  25,  '64.     Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.     V.V. 
Miller,  Henry,  Jr.     29,     Aug.  u,  '62 — July  7,  65.      Disability.     V. 
Miller,  Charles.     23.     Oct.  20,  '63 — July  30,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Petersburg 

mine  explosion.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  in  front  of  Petersburg.     V. 
Merrilla,  Louis.     42.     Aug.  7,  '63 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Murphy,  Peter.     22.    Aug.  24,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     D. 

Mayeur,  Justice.     20.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Mercier,  George  A.     18.     May  9,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Moorse,  Joseph.     19.     Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Mathias,  Frederick.      18.     Feb.  24.  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.-     V. 
Mulligan,  Dennis.     20.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McCormick,  William.     27.     Mar.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Milarta,  Otto.     28.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Miller,  George  F.     25.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Aug.  16,  '65.     Commissioned  2d  Lieut,  in 

U.  S.  C.  T.     V.V. 
Maier,   Michael.     23.     Aug.  25,  '63 —  Missing  at  Gloucester  Point,  May 

4,  '64.     S. 
Mitchell,  Thomas.     36.     Feb.  14,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  13,  '65. 

Michon,  Eugene.     32.     Aug.  13,  '63 —  Missing  from  hospital,  Nov.  20, 

'64.     Wounded  at  Petersburg.     S. 

McCause,  Francis.     26.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  from  Federal  Point.     S. 

Newman,  David  J.     24.     July  25,  '61 — July  8,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Nichols,  George  B.      18.     Aug.    i,   '61 — July   21,    '63.       Died    in    Charleston    of 

wounds  received  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Nodal,  Raphael.     30.     July  18,  '63 — May  7,  '64.      Killed   in   action   at   Chester 

Heights.     V. 

Noonan,  Thomas.     22.    Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65.     S. 

Oliver,  Ephraim.     21.     Jan.  17,  '65 — July  17,  '65.     Disability.     S. 
Pearsall,  John  H.     21.     Aug.  2,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Pearce,  Benjamin  B.     20.     July  25,  '61 — June  9,  '64.      Died  a  prisoner  at  Rich 
mond.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Powles,  Jacob.     25.     Aug.   12,  '62 —  '64.     Disability.     Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner,  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Payne,  Albert  M.     24.     Aug.  5,  '61 —  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     Wounded 

'  at  Ft.  Wagner.      Received  the  "  Gillmore  Medal."     V.V. 
Pease,   Nicholas  W.      18.     Aug.  30,  '61 — Feb.  6,  '64.     Trans,  to  Invalid   Corps. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

Pickens.  George  W.     20.     Jan.  30,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Peter,  Nicholas.     44.     Jan.  14,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Rogers,  Patrick.     25.     Oct.  20,  '63 — May  13,  '65.  D. 

Rogers,  William.     22.     Oct.  20,  '63 —  Missing  at  Gloucester  Point,  Oct. 

24,  '64.     Wounded  at  Olustee.     S. 

Reber,  Emile.     33.     Jan.  7,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Rota,  Ludwig.     22.     Jan.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i.  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Reed,  Nathaniel.     25.      Feb.  22,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Rogers,  John.     20.     Feb.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  3OI 

COMPANY  H— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Stebbins,  John  B.  18.  July  23,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Stiegler,  Clement  V.  18.  Sept.  7,  '61 — July  28,  '63.  Died  at  Beaufort  of  wounds 
received  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Stout,  John.     18.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Feb.  21,  '65.      Died  at  Federal  Point.     V.V. 

Stoney,  Joseph.     See  Q.  M.  Sergt.,  Roster  of  Non-Com.  Staff. 

Stapleton,  Samuel.  25.  Sept.  7,  '61 —  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  in 

front  of  Petersburg.  V. 

Stearns,  Gary  D.     28.     July  24,  '61 —  Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Sims,  Charles  H.     25.     Aug.  20,  '62 —  Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Simon,  William.     40.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 

Sheehan,  John.      21.     Sept.  23,  '64. — July  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     D. 

Shannon,  Timothy  J.     20.     Sept.  24,  '64 — July     '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     D. 

Scanlon,  John.      19.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  June  29,  '65.     S. 

Snyder,  John.     25.     Oct.  21,  '63 — Sept.  I,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 

Sickler,  .      18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Smith,  Charles  A.      18.     Mar.  6,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Tybe,  John.     22.     Aug.  6,  '61— July  28,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Taft,  Ira  B.      19.     Aug.  26,  '61 — July  24,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Tagmire,  Frederick.     40.     Aug.  28,  '61 —  Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Tripp,   Rufus  W.     21.     July  31,  '6r — July  28,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Tovvnsend,  Daniel  W.     24.     Feb.  28.  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Tovvnsend,  Andrew  E.      18.     Feb.  28,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 

Tyler,  Ashbel  V.  18.  Feb.  29,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wound 
ed  at  Ft.  Fisher.  S. 

Thompson,  Owen  F.     18.     Mar.  31,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Vreeland,  Daniel  M.     40.     July  23,  '61 — Oct.  6,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Waldmire,  Barney.     26.     July  26,  '6i; —  Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Walsh,  Patrick.  23.  Sept.  22,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wound 
ed  at  Wilmington.  S. 

Walters,  Lemuel.     41.     Aug.  14,  '61 — July  28,  '62.     Disability.     V. 

Williams,  Jarvis  W.     29.     July  24,  '61 — July  24,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Witcomb,  Vitruvius.     42.     Aug.  20,  '62 —  '65.  V. 

Woodbury,  Thos.  J.     44.     Aug.  12,  '62— July  12,  '63.     Disability.     V. 

Walling,  Thos.  E.  22.  Aug.  13,  '61 — Nov.  24,  '61.  Died  of  disease  at  Hilton 
Head.  V. 

Weingartner,  Louis.  42.  May  5,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Olus- 
tee.  V. 

Wilson,  Benjamin.  20.  Aug.  26,  '62 — July  4,  '64.  Died  at  Andersonville. 
Taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Witherspoon,  James  M.  19.  Aug.  19,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Wolt,  John  E.  24.  Aug.  29,  '61 — May  18,  '62.  Died  of  disease  on  Dawfuskie 
Island.  V. 

Wilson,  James.     23.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  13,  '65.     S. 

Wertz,  Herman.     18.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Wheeler,  Charles.     18.     Feb.  3,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Zouroskie,  William.  35.  Aug.  10,  '61 — July  18,  '63.  Killed  in  action  at  Ft. 
Wagner.  V. 

Zohn,  Frederick.     40.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


302  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   JV.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY  I. 

CAPTAINS. 

Ward,  Joseph  G.   25.    July  25/61 — Jan.  18,  '62.   Resigned.    Capt.  Aug,  16, '61.  V. 

Ferguson,  Asa  H.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 

Fee,  John  A.  27.  Sept.  9,  '62 — July  15,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at  Peters 
burg  mine  explosion.  2d  Lieut.  Sept.  9,  '62;  ist  Lieut.  July  18,  '63;  Capt. 
April  6,  '64.  V. 

Hutchinson,  Elbridge  J.  32.  Aug.  5,  '61 — May  25,  '65.  Discharged.  Promoted 
from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  F  to  2d  Lieut.  July  3,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  April  6,  '64;  Capt. 
Aug.  16,  '64.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Downer,  Edw.  30.  Aug.  14,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  ist  Lieut. 
Aug.  14,  '62;  Capt.  March  26,  '64.  Trans,  from  nyth  N.  Y.  Vols.  V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Swartwout,  Samuel  M.     See  Major,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Vidal,  Theodore  C.     22.     Sept.  5,  '61 — Jan.   18,   '64.     Commissioned  ist   Lieut, 

Signal  Corps.     2d  Lieut.  Sept.  5,  '61;  ist  Lieut.  Dec.  24,  '62;  Capt.  Aug.  28, 

'63  (declined).     V. 

Dunn,  James  W.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 
Giles,  John  S.     20.     Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Promoted 

from  Sergt.  Co.  B  to  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  i,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  Jan.  15,  '65.     V.V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Perry,  James  H.,  Jr.  21.  July  26, '61  — Sept.  3,  '62.  Resigned.  2d  Lieut.  Sept. 
14,  '61.  V. 

Keenan,  James  M.  28.  Sept.  13,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Olustee. 
Promoted  from  Sergt.  Co.  B  to  2d  Lieut.  July  5,  '63.  V. 

Van  Tassel,  Thomas  W.  18.  Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt. 
Promoted  from  Sergt.  Co.  B  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wag 
ner  and  Deep  Bottom.  V.V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 
Allen,  Wm.   H.     43.     July  19,  '61 — Aug.  15,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Barrow,  Winfield  S.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  K. 
Easson,  Peter.     20.       Sept.  17, '61 — Aug.  15, '64.       Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Johnson,  George  W.     26.     July  17,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Kormonisky  Henry.      23.      July  '61 — Jan.   25,   '65.      Disaoility.     Wounded    at 

Chester  Heights.     V.V. 

McCalvey,  William.     23.     Sept.  10,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Morrill,  Joseph.     See  2d  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  B. 
Redman,  Enoch  J.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  F. 

Redmon,  Nathaniel.      18.  Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Renshavv,  John.     32.     July  17,  '61 — Aug.  16,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Chester  Heights.     V. 
Riordan,  John.     26.     July  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.   Wounded  at 

Deep  Bottom.     V. 

SERGEANTS. 
Benley,   John  H.     33.     Aug.   10,  '61 —  Disability.     Wounded  at  Drewry's 

Bluff.     V. 
Boomer,  Willard  M.     18.     Feb.  17,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 


AND   RECORD. 


303 


COMPANY  I— Continued. 


SERGEANTS — Continued. 

Duncan,  Samuel.     19.   Nov.  22.  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65. 
Kelly,  Francis.     22.     Nov.  9,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65. 
McMann,  John.     27.     Jan.  15,  '64 — June  8,  '65. 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 
Middlehood,  Geo.  L.     26.     Oct.  17,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65. 


Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Died  (drowned).     Wounded  at 


Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


CORPORALS. 


July  23,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 
July  17, '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 


Barton,  Robert.     21. 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Brittain,  Nath.  W.     31. 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Clifton,  George.     32.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cox,  James.     29.     Aug.  26,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Farrar,  Asa  E.     25.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Finley,  Thomas.     45.     Sept.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 
V.V. 

Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Aug.  21,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 


Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wounded 


at  Cold  Harbor. 
Frew,  Francis.     23. 
Henley,  John.     27. 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Rodgers,  John.     28.     July  n,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65. 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Smith,  James.     28.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  r,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Taylor,  William.     23.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Twamley,  Peter.     21.     July  23,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Williams,   Chas.    E.      18.     Aug.i6,  '61 — Aug.  n,  '64.     Disability.     Wounded  at 

Petersburg  mine  explosion.     V.V. 
Zichlinsky,    Edwin    D.      34.       May   22,   '62 — Sept.    20,    '64.     Exp'n   of  service. 

Wounded  at  Petersburg  mine  explosion  and  twice  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

MUSICIANS. 
Beith,  James.     19.     Aug.   26,  '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Trans. 

from  Private.  Co.  C  upon  re-enlistment.     V.V. 

Griffin,  Andrew  F.     23.     Aug.  n,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
McLoughlin,  James  P.       18.       Aug.   13,  '61 — Sept.   20,   '64.       Exp'n   of  service. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
McLoughlin,  Wm.     16.     Aug.  13,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

WAGONERS. 

French,  Henry.     20.     July  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Pinkerton,  Henry.     45.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.       V.V. 

PRIVATES. 
Arnold,    John.      19.       July  20,  '61 — April  19,  '65.       Died  of  disease  at  Willett's 

Point.     V.V. 

Alliger,  Jacques.    28.    June  12,  '62 — Feb.  20,  '64.    Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.   V. 
Barton,  John.     26.     Sept.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Bachman,  Fred.  H.   19.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 
Beam,     Hamilton    D.      18.      Aug.    13,    '61 — Sept.    20,    '64.     Exp'n    of  service. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 

Boyce,  Edward.     32.     July  23,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Boyd,  Samuel.     36.     July  31,  '61— Sept.   20,  '64.     Exp'n   of  service.     Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.      V. 


304  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   V.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  I— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Burmester,  Henry.  24.  Jan.  20,  '64 — June  30,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Peters 
burg  mine  explosion.  V. 

Bee,  George.  41.  July  23,  '61 — Feb.  24,  '64.  Died  of  wounds  received  on 
picket  in  Florida.  V. 

Bell,  James.  22.  Oct.  20,  '63 —  Missing  from  hospital,  June  8,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Drewry's  Bluff.  V. 

Bradley,  Reuben  H.     38.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Boyd.  John.     23.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Berrey,  Samuel.     20.      Mar.  4,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Borling,  Robt.     21.     Feb.  22,  '65 —  Missing  in  transit  from  rendezvous.     S. 

Curran,  Joseph  H.  19.  Sept.  13, '61 — Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wound 
ed  at  Petersburg.  V.V. 

Cummings,  Albert.     23.     Sept.  2,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

Cook,  George  W.  28.  July  20,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n -of  service.  Wounded 
at  Chester  Heights.  V. 

Corbett,  Charles.     27.     July  23,  '61 —  Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.     V. 

Clarkson,  Wm.  25.  July  28,  '61 — Aug.  20,  '64.  Wounded  at  Peters 

burg.  V.V. 

Cusick,  John.     29.     July  26,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.     V. 

Crovvley,  Thomas.  34.  July  25,  '61 — June  i,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Cold  Har 
bor.  Wounded  at  Olustee.  V. 

Crunnion,  Michael.     29.     July  20,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Cyle,  Nathan.  21.  Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
at  Olustee.  S. 

Downs,  Michael.  23.  Jan.  12,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 
in  field,  Va.  V. 

Dunne,  Edward.  21.  Apl.  30,  '62— Sept.  2,  '64.  Died  of  disease  at  Ft.  Mon 
roe.  V. 

Day,  Frank.     25.     Nov.  21,  '61 — July  29,  '64.  V. 

Drake,  William.     22.      Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Dallard,  Michael.     24.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Detlor,  John.     23.      Mar.  7,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Dickinson,  William.  32.  Oct.  20,  '63 — May  5,  '65.  Wounded  at  Olus 

tee.  S. 

Donaldson,  John.     21.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 

Donovan,  Wm.      19.      Mar.  4,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  July  IT,  '65.     S. 

Evans,  Talisen.      18.     Jan.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Early.  Bartholomew.  18.  Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  July  n, 

'65.  S. 

Foley,  William.  20.  Aug.  17,  '61 — May  5,  '65.  Wounded  and  taken 

prisoner  at  Olustee.  V. 

Farrell,  James.  19.  Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Olustee.  V. 

Garigan,  John.  26.  Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 
at  Chester  Heights.  V. 

Gonzales,  Alvis.  24.  Feb.  23,  '62 —  '65.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  at 

Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.  V. 

Garsides,  Joel.  18.  Nov.  22,  '61 —  Missing  from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 

July,  '62.  V. 

Gauley,  William.  18.  Aug.  2,  '61 — May  16,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Drewry's 
Bluff.  V. 

Garvey,  John.      19.      Mar.  3,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Gillor,  August.     29.      Nov.  9,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Hart,  John.     25.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  30$ 

COMPANY  I— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 
Hart,  Asher  C.     20.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 
Hendrickson,  Geo.  W.     27.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Mar.  31,  '62.     Died  of  disease  on  Daw- 

fuskie  Island.     V. 
Hart,  Thomas.     18.     Apl.  i,  '62 —  Missing  from   Hilton   Head,  Aug.  i, 

'62.     V. 

Harkins,  John.     36.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Haley,  James  J.     32.     Feb.  21, '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hiter,  William.      18.     Feb.  28,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hoffman,  Paul.     21.     Sept.  27,  '64— May  5,  '65.  S. 

Heinmann,  James.     22.     Jan.  14,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Apl.  15, 

'65.     S.  '     . 

Hale,  Alex.     24.     Mar.  18,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  5,  '65.     S. 

Hunsviller,  Henry.     22.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     Taken 

prisoner  at  Cold  Harbor;  re-taken  at  Wilmington.     V. 

Judd,  Benjamin.  23.  Dec.  28,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V. 
Jackson,  Robert.  31.  Feb.  15,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V. 
Johnson,  William.  21.  Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  Wounded 

at  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Johnson,  Robert.      18.     Aug.  4,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Jennings,  Thomas.     38.    July  22, '61 — Sept.  20, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.   Wounded 

in  the  field,  Va.     V. 

Jones,  Joseph.     20.     Aug.  3,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Jackson,    John   F.     26.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Aug.    14,  '64.      Killed  in   action   at   Deep 

Bottom.     V. 

Johnson,  Alex.      18.     Jan.  20,  '64 — June,  '64.   Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.   V. 
Johnson,  Charles.     21.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  3.  '64.  V.V. 

James,  William.     23.     Oct.  30,  '63— Apl.  26,  '64.      Trans,    to   Navy.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     S. 

Keily,  Bartholomew.     40.     July  22,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Kennedy,  Daniel.     18.     Jan.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Livingston,    Thomas.     23.     Aug.    21,    '61 — Sept.    20,    '64.     Exp'n    of    service. 

Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Lawless,  Thomas.     21.     Jan.  13,  '65 — Sept.  i,  ,65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Link,  Louis.     33.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lonas,  Oscar.     19.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Langdon,  John.     21.      Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Lowell,  Frederick.     19.     Jan.  20,  '65 — July  5,  '65.  S. 

Leyersin,  Wm.     25.     Sept.  25,  '64 — June  2,  '65.  S. 

Luwig,  Frank.     29.     Sept.  23,  '64 — June  2,  '65.  S. 

Laschinoff,  Alex.     20.    Jan.  12,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  6, 

'65.     S. 
Malone,  Chas.  H.    20.    Jan.  19,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Fisher.     V. 
Miller,   John.     20.       Aug.  3,  '61 — Sept.    i,  '65.   Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Hatcher's  Run.    V.V. 

Mcllvaine,  James  F.     23.     Aug.  21,  '62 — July  25,  '65.  V. 

Martin,  John.     38.      Sept.  3,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
McLoughlin,  Jas.     26.     Nov.  26,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
McNamara,  Wm.     28.     July  15,  '61— Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Chester  Heights.     V. 
McKee,  Thos.     19.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Muldrey,  Thos.     See  Corporal,  Roster  Co.  E. 


306  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  I— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Continued. 

McCormick,  John.      18.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Dec.  23,  '63.     Died  of  disease  at    Brook 
lyn,  N.  Y.     V. 

Miniach,  John.     44.     Aug.  16,  '61 — June  6,  '65.  Wounded  at  Petersburg 

and  Hatcher's  Run.     V.V. 

Martin,  Jonas.     21.     Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Mahon,  James.     40.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Murphy,  John.     26.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Moffat,  George.     32.     Feb.  22,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Murray,  Francis.     21.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Montonour,  Wm.  H.     19.     March  17,  '65 — Sept.  I,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

McDermott,  Timothy.     40.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.    Muster-out  of  Regt.    S. 

Mclntyre,  Jas.     26.     Mar.  3,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

McGuire,  James.     36.      Mar.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

McCarty,  John.     30.     Sept.  29,  '64 — May  5,  '65.  S. 

Monroe,    Henry.     22.     Feb.    14,  '65 —  Missing  from    Raleigh,  Aug.    6, 

'65.     S. 

Morris,   George.     18.     Feb.    17,    '65 —  Missing  from   Raleigh,  Aug.    6, 

'65.     S. 

Murphy,  Thos.     18.    Feb.  22,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65.    S. 

Nolan,  James.     18.     July  20,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Nerney,   Marcole.     28.     Aug.   i,  '63 — Mar.   20,   '64.     Killed   while  a   prisoner. 
Taken  prisoner  at  Olustee.     S. 

Noble,  William.     22.     Feb.  15,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  18/65.   S. 

Orr,  David.     32.     July  12,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n   of  service.     Wounded  at 
Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Oxley,   James.     29.     Nov.   22,    '61 — June   8,  '62.     Died   of   disease  at   Ft.  Pu- 
laski.     V. 

O'Brien,  William.     28.     Feb.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Piper,  Fred.  H.     28.     July  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Pridy,  Robert.     27.     July  28,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64.      Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 

Pelisier,  Louis.     26.     Aug.  20,  '63 —  Missing  from  Petersburg,  Sept.  23, 

'64.     Wounded  at  Hatcher's  Run.     V. 

Pettingell,  John.     19.     Feb.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Perkins,  James.     21.     Feb.  22,  '65 — May  5,  '65.  S. 

Prentiss,  Wm.  T.    28.    Feb.  23,  '65 — June  22,  '65.    Died  of  disease  at  Raleigh.    S. 

Parker,  E.  A.     28.     Feb.  18,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  4,  '65.     S. 

Phenix,  Eben.     20.     Feb.  17,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  3,  '65.     S. 

Roche,  Marcus.     27.     Jan.  6,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 

Read,  Frank.     18.     Feb.  27,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V. 

Riecke,  Bernard.     21.     Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 

Rogers,  John.     18.     Aug.  6,  '61 — June  i,  '64.     Killed   in  action  at  Cold    Har 
bor.     V. 

Rosebash,  Wm.  A.     27.      Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Rollo,  George.     20.     Jan. "30,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Rownton,  Alfred.     20.     Feb.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Rogers,  Chas.  B.     18.     Feb.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Reopel,  Charles.     18.     Mar.  3,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Rogaber,  Maximilian.     30.     Jan.  14,  '65 — July  25,  '65.  S. 

Rosch,  Charles.     23.     Feb.  21,  '65 — Aug.  30,  '65.  S. 

Rogan,  Patrick.     33.     Feb.  24,  '65 — May  4,  '65.  S. 

Roach,  John.     21.     Feb.  21,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  4,  '65.     S. 

Ryan,  James.     19.     Jan.    19,  '65 —  Missing  from   Wilmington,    Mar.  3, 

'65.     S. 

Ricea,  Louis.     33.     Feb.  23, '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  July  u,  '65.  S. 


FOSTER   AND   RECORD.  307 

COMPANY  I— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Rosa,  Charles.     25.     Feb.  23,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  June  16,  '65.   S. 

Schaaf,  Henry.     20.     July  23,  '61 — Sept.  I,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Scheeling,  Anthony.     42.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    V.V. 
Starck,  Wm.  P.     26.     Jan.  15,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Drewry's  Bluff.     V. 
Sullivan,  Wm.  A.      21.     Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Styler,  Joseph.     19.     Aug.   i,  '61 — Sept.    20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  ^service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Shorrer,    Daniel.      19.     Oct.    20,    '63 —  Wounded    at    Olustee.      Missing 

from  hospital  at  Willett's  Point,  Aug.  i,  '64.     V. 

Smith,  William.     22.     Jan.  12,  '65 — July  19,  '65.  Wounded  in  N.  C.     S. 

Schmidt,  John.  19.  Jan.  20,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Snail,  George.  18.  Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Sliter,  William.  Sept.  23,  '64 — June  2,  '65.  "  S. 

Schneider,    Ludwig.       28.       Jan.    19,    '65 — Aug.     8,    '65.     Died    of    disease    at 

Raleigh.     S. 

Sulzer,  Carl.     27.     Mar.  9,  '65 — Aug.  9,  '65.     Died  of  disease  at  Raleigh.     S. 
Shea,  John.     20.    Jan.  13,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  3,  '65.   S. 

Turner,  Robert.     33.     Aug.  30,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Thompson,  Gabriel.     26.     Sept.  16,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Tuoney,  John.     20.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Teachout,  Squire.     25.     Feb.  12,  '64 — May  5,  '65.  S. 

Van  Eck,  Frank.     40.     May  20,  '63 — May  5,  '65.  S. 

Williams,  John.  38.  Feb.  8,  '64 — Sept.  'i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V. 
Whalen,  John.  30.  July  22,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Wounded 

at  Ft.  Fisher.     V. 
Walser,    Fernando.      38.      Apl.    18,    '63 — Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster-out   of   Regt. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Fisher.     V. 

Ward,  John.     36.     July  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Wilson,  James.     32.     July  30,  '61 —  Trans,  to  Invalid  Corps.    V. 

Whelan,  James.      19.     July    30,    '61 — Sept.    19,  '64.  Wounded  at  Peters 

burg.     V.V. 

Weitz,  John.     38.     Jan.  18,  '65— May  5,  '65.  S. 

Welman,  Henry.     24.     June  n,  '63 — May  3,  '65.     Wounded  at  Olustee.     S. 
Wolfe,  August.     23.     Aug.  22,  '63 — Apl.  26,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     S. 
Wenman,  Chas.  M.     19.     Jan.  12, '65 —  Missing  from  Mt.  Olive  Station, 

Mar.  9,  '65.     S. 

Wood,  Thos.  B.  33.  Aug.  5,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.  Exp'n  of  service.  V. 
Woods,  James.  19.  Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing  from  Wilmington,  Mar.  3, 

'65.     S. 
Wrample,  Chas.  A.     31.     Jan.  25,  '64 —  Missing  from  furlough,  Aug.  12, 

'65.     S. 
Young,  John.     30.     July  28,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 
Zaile,  Henry.     38.     Jan.  20,  '65 — Aug.  16,  '65.  S. 


308  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,   N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY  K. 

CAPTAINS. 
Foster,  Samuel  J.     33.     Aug.    i,  '61 — Jan.   26,  '63.     Resigned.     Capt.   Aug.  16, 

'61.     V. 
Hurst,   Frederick.       21.      July    24,  '61 — July  31,  '63.      Died    in    Charleston    of 

wounds    received   at    Ft.  Wagner.       ist    Lieut.   Co.   E  Aug.   27,    '61;  Capt. 

Jan.  26,  '63.     V. 

Miller,  Albert  F.     See  Major,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 
Umpleby,  Charles    B.     27.     Aug.    6,    '61— Sept.    i,    '65.     Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Promoted  from  ist   Sergt.   to  2d  Lieut.  July  30,  '64;   ist  Lieut.    Nov.  II,  '64;. 

Capt.  Apl.  13,  '65.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Gale,  Sylvanus  G.  23.  Aug.  8,  '61 — May  8,  '62.  Resigned,  ist  Lieut.  Aug. 
16,  '61.  V. 

Hatfield,  Townsend  L.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  C. 

Acker,  Henry.  23.  Aug.  6,  '61 — Nov.  12,  '64.  Resigned.  Promoted  from  ist 
Sergt.  Co.  C  to  2d  Lieut.  May  22,  '63;  ist  Lieut.  Aug.  28,  '63.  Wounded 
at  Morris  Island  and  Chester  Heights.  V. 

Garaghan,  Henry  T.     See  Capt.,  Roster  of  Co.  E. 

Smith,  Peter  W.  26.  Aug.  20,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Promoted 
from  Sergt.  Co.  B  to  2d  Lieut.  Aug.  14,  '64;  ist  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65. 
Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and  Deep  Bottom.  V.V. 

O'Brien,  Jeremiah.  29.  Sept.  24,  '61 — July  30,  '64.  Killed  in  action  at  Peters 
burg  mine  explosion.  Promoted  from  Sergt.  Co.  C  to  2d  Lieut.  Mar.  10, 
'64;  ist  Lieut.  July  15,  '64  (not  mustered).  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner  and 
Olustee.  V. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Smith,  George  L.  24.  Aug.  6,  '61 — Sept.  30,  '63.  Resigned.  Promoted  from 
ist  Sergt.  Co.  K  to  Sergt.  Maj.;  2d  Lieut.  Dec.  24,  '62.  V. 

Sweeney,  James.  24.  Aug.  15,  '61 — Feb.  29,  '64.  Cashiered.  Promoted  from 
Sergt.  Co.  E  to  2d  Lieut.  July  18,  '63.  V. 

Barrow.  Winfield  S.  22.  Jan.  i,  '64 — June  20,  '65.  Dismissed.  Promoted 
from  ist  Sergt.  Co.  I  to  2d  Lieut.  Jan.  i,  '65.  V. 

Holmes,  Lewis.  19.  Aug.  16,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Apl.  13,  '65.  V.V. 

Hunter,  William  B.  19.  Aug.  7,  '61 — July  7,  '64.  Discharged.  Promoted 
from  Sergt.  to  2d  Lieut.  Mar.  8,  '64.  V. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Hallenbeck,  Addison.     22.  — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

Dawson,  Tom.     See  ist  Lieut.,  Roster  of  Co.  A. 

SERGEANTS. 
Gardner,    Lavillian    B.     21.     Aug.    12,    '61 — Aug.    12,    '64.     Exp'n    of    service. 

Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.     V. 
Johnson,  Daniel,  Jr.     25.     Aug.  22,    '61 — July  18,  '63.      Killed   in  action   at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 

Lake,  John  T.     34.     Sept.  13,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
McKee,  Joseph  S.     20.     Aug.    15,   '61 — July    18,  '63.     Killed   in    action   at  Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 


&OSTEK   AND   RECORD. 


309 


COMPANY  K-Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

McPherson,  Jas.  19.  Aug.  6,  '61— July  18,  '63.  Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 
Ralston,  Edward.  27.  Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  V.V. 
Robinson,  John  W.  32.  Sept.  13,  '61 — Nov.  3,  '63.  V. 

Smith,  John.     30.     Aug.  9,  '61 — July  18,  '63.     Killed  in  action  at  Ft.  Wagner.    V. 
Seaward,  Benjamin.     See  Adjt.,  Roster  of  Field  and  Staff. 

Spear,  Christopher  H.     20.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  r,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Van  Aken,  Martin.    18.    Sept.  5,    61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Port  Royal  Ferry  and  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Wilkins,  W.  F.     23.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 


CORPORALS. 


Aug.  i,  '61— Nov.  16,  '63. 
'65- 


Ackerly,  N.  S.     20. 

Adams,  Henry.      19.     Aug.   29,  '63 — Sept.  i 

prisoner  at  Strawberry  Plains.     V. 
Brower,   John.     31.     Aug.    8,    '61 — Jan.    26 

Corps.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Barnett,    Edward.     23.     Aug.   i,   '61 — June  2,    '64. 

Harbor.     V.V. 
Broderick,     Michael.     24.     Sept.     i,     '63 — April 

Wounded  at  Wilmington.     V. 
Balcomb,  Birney.     21.     Feb.  17,  '64 — Aug.  9,  '65. 
Campbell,  Isaac.     30.     Jan.   20,  '63 — Oct.  20,  '64. 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Conklin,  Geo.  A.     22.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Dec.  n,  '63. 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Aug.  5,  '61 — Aug.  12,  '63. 


W'd  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Muster-out  of  Regt.     Taken 


'64.     Trans,   to   Veteran    Reserve 


C3. 


Killed  in  action  at  Cold 
'65.       Died    of    wounds. 


Died  of  disease. 
Died  of  wounds. 


V. 
Wounded 


Conklin,  Francis.     19. 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Conklin.  Selah  J.      19. 


Died  of  wounds.     Wounded 
Died  of  wounds.     Wounded 


Aug.  9,  '61 — Mar.  8,  '62. 


Dec.  22,  '61 — Feb.   20,  '64. 


Died  of  disease.     V. 
Supposed  killed  in  action  at 


Killed  in  action  at  Olustee. 
Died  of   wounds    rec'd   at 


Cahill,    Henry.     20. 

Olustee.     V. 
Dingee,  Hezekiah.      19.     Sept.  5,  '61 — Feb.  20,  '64. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Duffy,  Francis.      24.      Nov.    30,  '63 — June  30,  '64. 

Petersburg.     Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 

Daley,  John  G.    20.    Feb.  15,  '65 —  Missing  from  Raleigh,  Aug.  n,  '65.   S. 

Ellison,  Albert.   22.   Aug.  19,  '61 — July  15,  '64.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

Grey,  Ward  F.     23.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Gregory,    James  G.      19.     Sept.   3,    '61 — July    18,    '63.     Killed   in   action  at   Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Goodrich,   Isaac.     33.     July  21,   '63 — May  /,   '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Chester 

Heights.     Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
Grannagle,  Wm.    22.    May  21, '62 — June  i, '64.   Killed  at  Cold  Harbor.  Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 

Glennon,  Joseph.      19.     Sept.  26,  '64 — Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hilliker,    Alonzo.     27.     Aug.    5,   '61 — July    18,    '63.       Killed    in   action    at    Ft. 

Wagner.     V. 
Hart,   Maltby  B.     19.     Sept.  9,  '61 — June  24,  '64.      Died   of   wounds  rec'd  at 

Petersburg.     Wounded  at  Olustee  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Hoffman,  Alvin  D.     20.     Aug.   10,  '61 — July  5,   '64.     Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at 

Petersburg.     V.V. 
Johnson,  John  J.     30.     Dec.  5,  '61 — June  29,  '64.     Died  of  wounds.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

King,  Wm.  V.     23.     Aug.  29,  '61— Feb.  i,  '62.     Com'd  2d  Lieut,  sgth  N.Y.V.  V. 
King,  Joseph.     42.     Feb.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 

21 


3IO  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY   K— Continued. 

CORPORALS — Continued. 

King,  Charles.  22.  Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
McDougal,  John.  22.  Mar.  8. '65 — Sept.  I, '65.  Muster-out  of  Regt.  S. 
Ryder,  James.  35.  July  20,  '63 — June  16.  '65.  Wounded  at  Olustee.  V. 

Raymond,  Bradford.      18.     Sept.  27,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     D. 
Scudder,    Wm.   S.       19.     Aug.    i,    '61 — Mar.   12,    '64.  Wounded  and  taken 

prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Terrill,  Horatio.      19.     Sept.  6,  '61— Feb.  20,  '64.     Supposed  killed  in  action  at 

Olustee     V. 
Turnbull,  Edward.     18.     Aug.  19,  '61 — July  20,  '64.     Died  of  wounds  rec'd  at 

Cold  Harbor.     V. 

White,  James.  23.  Aug.  8,  '61 — May  12,  '63.  Disability.  V. 
Wyman,  John.  26.  Aug.  8,  '61 — Oct.  19,  '62.  Disability.  V. 
Westerfield,  James.  28.  Aug.  21,  '61—  July  18,  '63.  Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 

MUSICIANS. 

Bennett,  Elihu.     16.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Decker,  Geo.  W.     15.     Sept.  5,  '61— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 

WAGONER. 

Giddis,  Chas.  J.     21.     Aug.  19,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Trans, 
from  Private,  Co.  D,  upon  re-enlistment.     V.V. 

PRIVATES. 
Atkins,    John.       23.     Sept.     23,     '61 — June    17,     '65.  Wounded    at    Ft. 

Fisher.     V.V. 

Abbott,  Henry  B.     25.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Augustine,   Andrew.     33.       Sept.    2,    '63 — July   8,    '65.  Wounded  at    Ft. 

Fisher.     V. 

Bickford,  John  F.     26.     Aug.  7,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Bickford,  Chas    C.     28.     Aug.  8,  '61 —  Missing  at  Petersburg  mine  ex 

plosion.     V.V. 

Bradley,  John  M.      18.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Brown,  Henry  L.     27.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.  16,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Bishop,  Charles.      19.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.    Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Bouton,  William.     23.     Sept.    i,   '61 — Sept.   20,  '64.      Exp'n  of  service.     Taken 

prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Banon.  Wm.  H.     20.      Feb.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt      S. 
Bean,  Peter  H.      32.     Oct.  20,  '63— Jan.  3,   '64.     Trans,  to  usth  N.  Y.  V.     V. 
Broser,  William.     20.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Baker,  Henry.     20.     Feb.  4,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Bernhard,  Joseph.     21.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Berio,  Perin.     25.     Jan.  5,  '62 —  Missing,  Aug.  4,  '64.     V. 

Bergen,  John.     21.     May  22,  '62 —  Missing,  May  22,  '64.     V. 

Bushney,  Oliver.     20.     Feb.    17,  '65 —  Missing,    Aug.    2,  '65.     S. 

Conklin,  Wm.  H.     19.     Aug.  24,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Commerdinger,  John  P.     28.     Aug.  6,  '61 — July  29,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Conklin,  Melville  R.      18.     Aug.  5,  '61 — June  5,  '64.     Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve 

Corps.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Cameron.  Benjamin.     23.     Feb.  21,  '65 —  Missing,   Aug.  2,  '65.     S. 

Casey,  Michael.     26.     Aug.  i,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V.V. 

Cunningham,  Peter.     43.     Aug.  28,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.      D. 
Cullen,  Michael.     19.     Mar.  28,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 


ROSTER  AND   RECORD.  311 

COMPANY  K— Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Carlton,  Thomas.      18.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cole,  Robert  H.     23.     Feb.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Cook.    George   W.     31.     Jan.    19,    '64 — July    19,   '65.  Wounded    at 

Chester  Heights.     V. 

Devine,  Thomas.   20.   Mar.  8,  '65 —  Missing,  June  28,  '65.   S. 

Demmy,  John.     23.     Aug.  29,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     V. 
Dearing,  John  F.     22.     Sept.  i,  '63 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.    Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     D. 

Dahn,  William.     23.     Jan.  4,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Embree,  Augustus.     21.     Aug.  3, '61 — Sept.  20, '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Engleman,  John.     41.     Jan.  20,  '64 — July  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Chester 

Heights.     V. 

Early.  Jacob.     29.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Evard,  August.     26.     Mar.  24,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Eckert,  Henry.     40.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Elliott,  Austin.     22.     July  14,  '63 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Chester 

Heights  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

Ferguson,  William.     24.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Finnegan,  Bernard.     24.     Jan.  19,  '65 —  Missing,  March  3,  '65.     S. 

Fitzpatrick,  John.     20.     Jan.  10,  '64 —  Missing,  June   7,  '65.     Wounded 

at  Olustee.     S. 

Flynn,  John.      18.     Jan.  9,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Flynn,  Daniel.     40.     Jan.  16,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Fallen,  Jacob.     29.     Oct.  12/64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Ferkie,  Augustus  H.     32.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gardner,  Rufus  R.     19.     Aug.  12.  '61 — July  29,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Garry,  Michael.     41.     Aug.    12,   '61 — Jan.   5,   '64.     Trans,   to    Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Gordon,  Robert.     22.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gallagher,  James  G.      18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Geary,  Patrick.     28.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gosten,  John.     20.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i.  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Gill,  Eugene  H.     30.    Jan.  7,  '64 — Jan.  28,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ft.  Fisher.     S. 

Hess,  William.     20.     Aug.  9,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 
Hess,  Daniel.     18.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Reg"t.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V.V. 

Hostrander,  Huam.     39.     Aug.   9,  '61 — Dec.  23,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Henkle,  Adolphus.      19.     Aug.   8,   '61 — Dec.  12,   '62.     Commissioned   ist  Lieut. 

in  3d  Maryland  Vols.     V. 

Heydorn,  Mark.     20.     Aug.  8,  "61 — Sept.  20.  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Halwick,  Peter  M.     23.     Aug.  17,  '61 — May  6,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Hewitt,    Ezekiel  G.     22.     June   16,    '62 — Jan.  30,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Hill,  James.     24.      Mar.  16,  '65 — June  25,  '65.     Died  of  disease.     S. 
Harrison,  Charles  L.     21.      Mar.  21,  '62— May  2,   '65.  Wounded    at 

Petersburg.     V.V. 

Hodges,  Thomas.  Sept.  i,  '63 —  Missing,  Mar.  28,  '65.     V. 

Hussback,    Henry.     20.      Jan.    20,    '64— Sept.    i,    '65.       Muster-out    of    Regt. 

Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 

Hilger,  Nicholas.     25.     Jan.  18,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Hahn,  Henry.     24.     Jan.  17,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 


312  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY   K— Continued. 

PRIVATES —  Con  tin  ued. 

Hamilton,  John  W.     19.     Mar.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Inslee,  Charles.     20.     Aug.  6,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Jackson,  John.     30.     Jan.  18,  "65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Jones,  John.     25.     Jan.  31,  '65 —  Missing,  Mar.  15/65.     S. 

Kelly,  Michael.     44.     Aug.  8,  '61 — May  12,  '63.     Disability.     V. 
Kalmyer,  Fred.     22.     May  22,  '62 — May  12,  '65.  Wounded  at  Olus- 

tee  and  Cold  Harbor.     V. 

King,  Thomas.     21.     Aug.  28,  '63 — May  i,  64.     Trans,  to  Navy,     V. 
Keyser,  John.     29.     Sept.  2,  '63— Jan.  3,  '64.     Trans,  to  usth'N.  Y.  V.     V. 
Kelly,  Thomas.    23.    Aug.  14.  '61 —          '63.    Died.    Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.  V. 
Kerater,  M.     21.     Mar.  4,  62 —  V. 

Krueger,  August.     22.     May  21,  '62 — June  26,  '65.  Wounded   at 

Drewry's  Bluff.     V.V. 

Kelly,  Daniel  C.     43.     Aug.  12,  61 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V.V. 
Lake.  James  M.  C.     26.     Aug.  28,  '61 — Dec.   24,  '64.  Wounded   at 

Petersburg.     V.V. 

Lake,  Cornelius  W.     23.     Aug.  25,  '61 — July  29,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Lewis,  William.     28.     Aug.  31,  '63— Feb.  i,  '65.  Wounded  at  Deep 

Bottom.     V. 
Lafferty,  Michael.     20.     Sept.  2,  '63 — May  15,  '65.  Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Lebonheir,  Chas.  A.     18.     Aug.  8,  '61— July  13,  '63.     Killed  on  Morris    Isl.    V. 
Ledger,  Peter.       18.       Mar.    21,  '65 —  Missing,  Aug.  4,  '65.     S. 

Lawson,  Peter.     26.     Feb.  23,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Laughlin,  John  J.     42.     Jan.  17,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
La  Clare,  Evangelist.     21.     Mar.  28,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
McCabe,  John.     25.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
McFarland,    Angus.       18.       Sept.    9,     '61 — Sept.     20,   '64.       Exp'n  of  service. 

Wounded  at  Chester  Heights.     V. 

McDaniels,  John.     28.     Aug.  9,  '61— Dec.  23,  '62.     Disability.     V. 
Mills.  Charles.    33.    Aug.  i,  '61 — Jan.  5,  '64.    Trans,  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Mackey,  William  H.     19.     Aug.  18,  '61 — Jan.  26,  '64.      Trans,    to  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Major,  George.     21.     Sept.  i,  '63 — May  i,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
McCloud,  John.     22.     Sept.  i,  '63 — May  i,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
Merchant,  Elmer.     27.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Nov.  9,  '64.     Died  of  disease.     V. 
Murphy,  William.     20.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing,  July  24,   '65.     S. 

Murphy.   Anthony.     21.      Mar.  28,  '64 —  Wounded  in  the  field,  Va.     V. 

Miles,  Charles.     37.     Sept.  i,  '63 — May  3,  '65.  Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 

McShane,  Barney.     33.     Feb.  22,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Murphy,  John.     33.     Jan.  19,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Maylan,  Burnett.      16.      Aug.  16,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
McCredden,  Mathew.     29.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.      S. 
Morrell,  David  D.     18.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Mooney,  Stephen.     35.     Mar.  8,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Newhart,  Christian.     See  Hospital  Steward,  Roster  of  Non-Com.  Staff. 
Osborne,  John.     21.     Aug.  14,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wounded 

at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
Olsen,  Oliver  C.   21.     Feb.  iS,  '62— rFeb.  18,  '65.      Exp'n  of  service.   Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 
Ostrander,  Peter.     21.     Aug.   8,  '61 — Jan.   26,  '64.     Trans,   to  Veteran    Reserve 

Corps.     Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 
O'Brien,  John.     21.     Jan.  18,  '65 —  Missing,  Wilmington,  Mar.  3/65.     S. 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD. 

COMPANY   K— Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Olagde,  Jean.     20.     Dec.  29,  '62 —  V. 

Phillips,  Stephen  A.     20.     Aug.  26,    '61 — Sept.    20,    '64.       Exp'n    of    service. 

Wounded  at  Ft.  Wagner.    V. 

Purcell,  Thomas.     40.     Sept.  13,  '63 — July  8,  '65.  Wounded  at  Ches 

ter  Heights.     V. 
Prass,  Jean.     30.     June  2,  '62 — June  3,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded  at  Ft. 

Wagner.      V. 
Peacock,  John.     24.      July  30,  '63 — Mar.   22,  '64.       Died  of  wounds  received  at 

Olustee.      V. 
Pierce,  William.     21.     Sept.    28,    '64 — Jan.    15,    '65.       Killed    in   action  at    Ft. 

Fisher.     V. 

Pullis,  Thomas  J.     28.     Aug.  6,   '61 —  Missing,   Nov.  10,  '63.     V. 

Platt,  Arthur  B.     18.     Sept.  14,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster  out  of  Regt.     V. 
Pratt,  George  W.  18.     Feb.  20,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wound 
ed  at  Ft.   Fisher.     V. 

Revill,  William.     20.     Aug.  8,  '61 — June  17,  '64.  Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 

Roberts,  John.     22.     Aug.  8,  '61 — Mar.  3,  '64.     Died.     Wounded  at  Olustee.     V. 
Rose,  Luke.     38.     Sept.  13,  '61— July  18,    '63.  Killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.     V. 

Remmer,  August.     24.     Sept.  i,  '62— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     Wound 
ed  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

Ross,  William.     26.     Feb.  22,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Ringsdolph,  John.     35.     Jan.  20,  '63— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.   Wound 
ed  at  Olustee.     V. 

Reed,  James.     20.      Jan.  12,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65-     Muster-out  Regt.     S. 
Rolley,  Allen.     28.    "Nov.  10,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  Regt.     V. 
Rodgers,  Thomas.      28.      Jan.    5,   '65 —  Missing,  Aug.  4,  '65.     S. 

Sammis,  Francis.      18.     Aug.  6,  '61 — Dec.  31,  '61.      Died  of  disease.     V. 
Sweeney,  Terrence  M.     23.     Aug.  6,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Schward,  Emile.     25.     June  n,  '62 — June  12,  '65.      Exp'n  of  service.    Wounded 

at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 

Schryber,  Trugott.    21.     June  n,  '62 — June  12,  '65.     Exp'n  of  service.     Wound 
ed  at  Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Sammis,  Gilbert  S.     22.     Aug.  28,  '62— June  4,  '64.     Died  of  wounds.     Wounded 

at  Cold  Harbor.     V. 
Stephens,  Geo.     23.     Oct.  20,  '63— Aug.   14,  '64.      Supposed  killed  in  action  at 

Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Sheehan,  Patrick.     20.     Aug.  2,  '63— Aug.  14,  '64.     Supposed  killed  in  action  at 

Deep  Bottom.     V. 
Starr,  Charles.     21.     Sept.  i,  '63— 

Smith,   Charles.     22.     Jan.    18,   '65 —  Missing,  Mar.    15,  '65.     S. 

Spellman,  Peter.      19.     Feb.   25.  '65—  Missing,  Mar.    18,  '65.     S. 

Scribner,  George.     18.     Feb.  4,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  July  24, '65.    S. 

Sullivan,  Thomas.     22.     Feb.  21,  '65—  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  4,  '65.    S. 

Spencer,  John.     24.     Feb.  24,  '65—  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  4,  '65.    S. 

Smith,  Thomas.     21.     Sept.  2,  '63— Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Steers,  Closs.     20.     Jan.  2,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Starks,  Edward  M.     20.     Jan.  25,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Smith,  John  L.     27.     Feb.  21,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Stimpson,  Wm.      19.     Feb.  2,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Spears,  George.     33.     Mar.  28,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Shovey,  Geo.  W.      18.     Jan.  4,  '64— Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
Sherman,  Fred.  A.      19.      Mar.  S,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Sommerville,  William.     19.     Jan.  18,  '65— Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Thompson,  Joseph.      18.     June  n,  '62— July  29,  '62.     Disability.     V. 


314 


FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT,  N.   Y.   S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY   K— Continued. 
PRIVATES — Continued. 

Tuthill,  Winfield.     24.      Mar.    n,   '62— Feb.   20,   '64.  Killed  at  Olustee.     V. 

Thompson,  John.     22.     Feb.  21.  '65 —  Missing  in  N.  C.,  Apl.  16,  '65.     S. 

Terry,  Geo.  H.      19.     Aug.  17,  '61 — Sept.  20,  '64.     Exp'n  of  service.     V. 
Veteran,  Frank.     24.     Aug.  28,  '63— May  i,  '64.     Trans,  to  Navy.     V. 
Vance,    William.      19.     Aug.    29,   '6l — July  18,   '63.      Killed    in    action    at    Fort 

Wagner.     V. 

Von  Preef,  Adolph  G.     20.     Mar.  &,  '65~-Sept.  i,  '65.     Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Wright,   Alfred.     24.     Aug.   23,   '61 — June    10,   '65.  Wounded    at  Fort 

Wagner.     V.V. 
Wilson,  James.     25.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Apl.  20,  '64.     Died  of  wounds.     Wounded  at 

Olustee.     V. 

Woods,   Lawrence.     20.     June  2,   '62 —      Missing,   Petersb'g,  Sept.  10,  '64.     V. 
Williams,  William.      19.     Aug.   8,  '61— Feb.   20,  '64.  Killed  at  Olustee.     V. 

Warner,  John.     23.     Oct.  20,  '63 — Feb.  20,  '64.     Killed  in  action  at  Olustee.    V. 
Walsh,  James.     27.     Jan.  6,  '65 —  Missing  at  Wilmington,  Mar.  3,  '65.    S. 

Whalen,  Patrick.     26.     Feb.  20,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  8,  '65.     S. 

Ward,  Frank.  Feb.  23,  '65 —  Missing  at  Raleigh,  Aug.  6,  '65.     S. 

Williams,  George.     25.      Mar.  4,  '62 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     V. 
West,  Fred.     31.     Jan.  18,  '65 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster-out  of  Regt.     S. 
Wilson,  Geo.     20.      Mar.  4,  '64 — Sept.  i,  '65.      Muster  out  of  Regt.     V. 
Young,  James.     24.     Sept.   i,  '63 — Aug.  25,  '64.      Killed  at  Hatcher's  Run.     V. 
Zoller,  John.     25.     Jan.  18,  '65 — July  6.  '65.  S. 

Zueston,  Philbert.     21.     June  16,  '62— Feb.  2,  '64.     Died  of  disease.     V. 

BAND. 

LEADERS. 
Connolly,  Michael.    38.    Sept.  5,  1861.    |  Osborn,  Alvah  P.     22.     Oct.  i,  '61. 


PRIVATES. 


Bennett,  Stephen  B.     21.     Sept.  7,  '61. 
Brown,  John  J.     24.     Sept.  12,  '61. 
Burnett,  Perine  I.     24.     Sept.  12,  '61. 
Cox,  William.     25.     Sept.  10,  '61. 
Frost,  Charles  J.     25.     Sept.  12.  '61. 
Frost,  Frank  A.     20.     Sept.  5,  '61. 
Gordon,  Samuel  B.     26.     Sept.  12,  '61. 
Grannis,  William  P.     28.     Sept.  9,  '61. 
Hayt,  James  B.     21.     Oct.  i,  '61. 
King,  Charles  R.     18.     Sept.  12,  '61. 
Lyon,  Charles.     35.     Sept.  10,  '61. 
Mandeville,  Eloin  K.     38.     Sept.  5,  '61. 


Miller,  George- F. 


Aug.  i,  '61. 


Seaman,  Warren  H.     27.     Sept.  5,  '61. 
Spencer,  Frank  M.     25.     Sept.  5,  '61. 
Stone,  Charles  M.     22.     Oct.  i,  '61. 
Stuart,    Bryon   D.       18.     Sept.    12,   '61. 

(Died  Aug.  4,  '62.) 

Thomas,  Charles  W.     38.     Oct.  10,  '61. 
Weller,  Leroy.      17.     Sept    9,  '61. 
Wheller,  Monroe.      19.     Sept.  5,  '61. 
White,  Amasa  B.     24.     Sept.  5,  '61. 
White,  James  C.     18.     Sept.  5,  '61. 


The    Band  was   mustered  out  of  service  in   the   fall  of  1862  under  General 
Orders  No.  4,  War  Department,  July  17,  1862. 


CASUALTIES  IN  FORTY-EIGHTH   REGIMENT  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 


Morris 
Island, 
July  10, 
1863. 

Fort 
Wagner, 
July  18, 
1863. 

Olustee, 
Feb.  20, 
1864. 

Chester 
Heights, 
May  7, 
1864. 

Drewry's 
Bluff, 
May  16, 
1864. 

Cold 
Harbor, 
June  1-6, 
1864. 

Deep 
Bottom, 
July  27, 
Aug.  10 
and  14, 
1864. 

Straw 
berry 
Plains 
Aug.  i 
1864. 

Field  and  Staff 

K. 

W. 

P 

K. 

w. 

P 

K. 

\V. 

P 

K. 

W. 

P    K. 

W. 

P 

K. 

W. 

P 

K. 

w: 

P 

K. 

W. 

Non-Com  Staff. 

Company  A  
"          B 

4 

8 

XX 

xo 

II 

18 

10 

4 
7 
'a 

6 
4 
5 

7 

»3 

2.' 

16 

'9 

9 
3 
5 
9 
5 

x 

i 
x 

2 

x 
a 
x 

2 

I 
I 

9 

4 
2 

9 

4 

4 
a 
4 

3 

4 

2 

1 

C  
D  
E  
F  

i 

7 

'2 

5 

2 

a 
6 

5 

i 

13 

5 

x 
x 

•• 

7 
6 

•8 

3 

a 

x 
8 

"          G 

4 
3 
7 

9 

x 

g 
5 

5 

x 

x 

o 

e 

8 

x 

"          H 

* 

33 

3 

3 

,x 

"          I 

K  

^ 

•• 

12 
83 

83 

'73 

3 

28 

9 
47 

18 
163 

X 
10 

Total  

6 

34 

7 

35 

—  * 

48 

x 

/  •• 

49    2 

6 

46 

8 

10 

Hatcher's 
Run, 

Aug.  25, 
1864. 

Siege  of 
Peters 
burg, 
June  30- 
July  30, 
1864. 

Fort 
Fisher, 
Jan.  15, 
1865. 

Wil 
mington, 
Feb.  21, 

1865. 

Sundry 
dates. 

Total 
in  action. 

Died  of 
disease. 

Total 
casual 
ties. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Prisoners. 

•o  g 

J3  S 

Iln  camp& 
hospital. 

Field  and  Staff.. 
Non-Com.  Staff 

K. 

W. 

p 

K. 

\V. 

P 

K. 

W. 

P 

K. 

W. 

P 

K. 

W. 

P 

t 

8 
6 

8 
8 
5 
9 

12 
12 

9 
8 
86 

x 

10 
10 

13 

12 
12 

8 
7 
9 

8 

12 

I07 

a 

8* 
M 
33 

»9 

M 

=  3 

12 
38 
,36 

... 
57 
55 
79 
oS 
ll 
49 

55 

61 
70 
693 

Company  A  

x 

a 

I 

M 
15 
XO 

17 
9 

3 
7 
5 
3 

4 

88 

4 

'1 

•4 
8 

S 

3 
9 

4C 

B.   ... 

•• 

x 
a 
a 

3 

3 

a 

a 
i 

2 

"          C 

x 

D  
E.   ... 
F  
"          G 

x 

4 

I 

x 

3 

a 
a 

3 

a 
ax 

i 

H..  .. 

44          I    ... 

2 

9 

6 

i 

x 

X 
'• 

3 

x 
a 
xo 

K..  .. 
Total  

i 

2 

4 

T 

6 
»9 

i 

2    .  . 

25'   5 

X 

3 

4 
14 

- 

x 
4 

HI 

- 

GENERAL   STATISTICS. 

Number  of  enlistments  in  1861,  167;  1862,  190;  1863, 
220;  1864,  224;  1865,  581  ;  year  unknown,  9.  Whole  num 
ber  of  enlistments,  2191.  Of  this  number  about  300  were 
transferred  from  the  N.  Y.  Independent  Battalion  and  ii7th 
N.  Y.  Vols. 

The  casualties  in  engagements  with  the  enemy  were  947, 
or  43  per  cent.  Deducting  the  recruits  of  1865,  none  of 
whom  were  in  more  than  one  action  (Wilmington),  and  with 
only  three  wounded,  the  loss  is  increased  to  nearly  59  per 
cent.  Including  deaths  from  disease,  the  percentage  of 
losses  in  action  to  the  whole  number  is  nearly  one  half,  and 
without  the  1865  recruits,  two  thirds. 

236  were  killed  or  died  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

623  were  wounded,  and  88  were  taken  prisoners. 

87  died  of  disease,  and  40  at  Andersonville,  Richmond, 
and  other  Confederate  prisons. 

17  commissioned  officers  were  killed  or  died  of  wounds, 
and  28  were  wounded. 

58  enlisted  men  became  commissioned  officers  in  the 
regiment,  and  17  in  other  commands. 

331  re-enlisted,  and  became  " Veterans;"  of  whom  186 
were  mustered-out  Sept.  I,  1865. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


UIBRARY  USB 

FFR     9  IQRn 

DEC    6  1961 

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REC'D 

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ULL-    6  1961 

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JAN  2  3  1967  5  9 

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LD  21A-50m-8,'61 
(Cl795slO)476B 


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University  of  California 

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